MAECC : Ivermectin To Control COVID-19 In 6 Weeks?

MAECC claims that ivermectin will allow us to control COVID-19 in just 6 weeks, and the Malaysian media did not bother to fact check them.

So I took it upon myself to go through their video, and find out if what they said is true or false.

 

MAECC : Ivermectin Can Control COVID-19 In 6 Weeks!

On 21 June 2021, MAECC (Malaysian Alliance for Effective COVID Control) held a press conference, claiming that ivermectin works and can control COVID-19 in 6 weeks.

Who is MAECC? They call themselves an alliance of 6 medical and health associations, comprising of :

• SNH : Society of Natural Health, Malaysia
• MAAFIM : Malaysian Association for Advancement of Function and Interdisciplinary Medicine
• PPIM : Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia
• MSCM : Malaysian Society for Complementary Medicine
• NMAM : Naturopathy Medicine Association Malaysia

 

MAECC Ivermectin Briefing : A Fact Check

Unfortunately, it appears that the Malaysian media just blindly reported on whatever MAECC said about ivermectin, and did not bother to fact-check.

So I took it upon myself to go through their video, and find out if what they said is true or false.

As always, I welcome corrections if I made any mistakes, or suggestions for improvements.

Dr. Paul E. Marik’s Presentation

The MAECC briefing started with a pre-recorded briefing by Dr. Paul E. Marik on ivermectin’s efficacy against COVID-19.

Nowhere in his presentation did he mention that ivermectin can control COVID-19 in Malaysia in just 6 weeks.

I fact checked his short presentation in my article, Ivermectin + Supplements : Better Than COVID-19 Vaccines?

MAECC Statement

Dr. Amir Farid Isahak read out the MAECC statement, calling for ivermectin and supplements to be used as a prophylaxis and treatment against COVID-19.

The official MAECC statement claimed that Malaysia can recover from the COVID-19 pandemic “in a matter of weeks” if ivermectin is allowed to be used.

Fact Check : There’s no evidence that ivermectin has helped any country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic “in a matter of weeks”.

The MAECC statement claimed that medical and healthcare practitioners and researchers have sworn the Hippocratic oath and compliant with the Nuremberg Code and the Helsinki Declaration.

Fact Check : Doctors have to comply with modern ethical standards, which are inspired by the Hippocratic oath, but not actually sworn to the Hippocratic oath per se.

The Nuremberg Code is a set of research ethics principles on human experimentation, used in the Nuremberg trials after World War 2. It has not been adopted as law or official ethics guidelines by any association or country.

The Helsinki Declaration is a set of ethical principles that govern human experimentation. It is not legally binding, but serves as a higher standard to which the medical community should abide with.

The MAECC statement went on to say that it is unethical to insist on more clinical trials to investigate the efficacy of ivermectin in all stages of COVID-19.

Fact Check : Article 32 of the Helsinki Declaration actually states that “unproven methods should be tested in the context of research where this is a reasonable belief of possible benefit”.

In other words, MAECC’s insistence that ivermectin should be used without waiting for clinical trials goes AGAINST the Helsinki Declaration.

 

MAECC Ivermectin Q&A Session : A Fact Check

Then MAECC held a Q&A session with their expert panel that consisted of :

• Datuk Dr. Selvam Rengasamay (SAHAMM)
• Professor Dr. Mustafa Ali (MAAFIM)
• Dr. Abd Wahab Khalid Osman (MAAFIM)
• Dr. Vijaendreh Subramaniam (MAAFIM)

Let’s go through what some of the panelists said about ivermectin and COVID-19. For sake of brevity, I will only address the points that I found to be false or partially false.

Claim #1 : Enough Research On Ivermectin Efficacy
Verdict : False

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ali stated that the papers (studies) on ivermectin are adequate to be convinced that ivermectin works very well against COVID-19 as treatment and prophylaxis. “We are very sure of that“.

Dr. Vijaendreh somewhat contradicted Dr. Mustafa later by saying that ivermectin is “not the magic pill that will solve” COVID-19.

The truth is ivermectin has not yet been proven to be efficacious against COVID-19.

The latest ivermectin study that was published in The Lancet showed NO DIFFERENCE in clinical outcomes, even though they used TRIPLE the dose recommended by the FLCCC.

Claim #2 : A Local Ivermectin Trial Has Not Been Initiated
Verdict : False

Dr. Selvam Rengsamy recommended that the authorities use their emergency powers to initiate a trial – “If you want to do a trial to justify its use, it has to be initiated quickly“.

He also said that, “The problem is the local studies are being demanded. We have not done, but others have done.”

The truth is the Malaysia Ministry of Health (KKM) had already initiated their ivermectin trial on 6 June 2021, called I-TECH – Ivermectin Treatment Efficacy in COVID-19 High-Risk Patients.

Claim #3 : Local Ivermectin Trial Only For Stage 3 + Stage 4
Verdict : Partially False

Prof. Dr. Mustafa later stated that there is a local ivermectin clinical trial, but it’s only for Stage 3 and Stage 4 patients.

The I-TECH trial, that is being conducted by the Institute of Medical Research, is enrolling patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 symptoms – Stage 2 to Stage 3.

Claim #4 : Ivermectin Can Terminate COVID-19 Transmission
Verdict : False

When asked if it is really possible that COVID-19 can be controlled in Malaysia in just 6-8 weeks, Dr. Vijaendreh said, “that claim is obviously made based on experiences in countries that have instituted such widespread usage in the population“.

Dr. Vijaendreh said that ivermectin would “terminate the transmission” of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. There is no evidence of that.

Ivermectin has been shown to inhibit the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but that’s not the same thing as preventing the transmission of the virus.

In fact, this February 2021 study that was published in The Lancet showed that ivermectin did NOT reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Dr. Vijaendreh later clarified that it may not stop transmission 100% but it will reduce it significantly. However, that remains to be confirmed.

Claim #5 : WHO Recognises Ivermectin As World’s Safest Drug
Verdict : False

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ali stated that ivermectin is the “safest drug in the world recognised by WHO“.

That’s simply not true. WHO did not recognise that ivermectin (or any other drug) is the safest drug in the world.

In fact, WHO recommends that (as of 31 March 2021), ivermectin should “only be used within clinical trials“!

Ivermectin is merely one of the 460 or so drugs in the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.

Claim #6 : India, Peru, Mexico Used Ivermectin Successfully
Verdict : False

Dr. Wahab said, “India, Peru, Mexico – they have all done it. They’re doing very well. And the Philippines have also seen improvements“.

The moderator, Capt. Dr. Wong then chimed in, “Peru, Chile, Brazil, South Africa – many countries“.

That’s not true. India had earlier adopted ivermectin for use in mild or asymptomatic COVID-19, but that is no longer the case.

On 27 May 2021, India dropped ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine and favipiravir, azithromycin, doxycycline, zinc and even plasma therapy.

As for ivermectin’s efficacy in the countries they mentioned, I think it can be summarised by these charts.

Does it look like any of these countries controlled COVID-19 in 6 to 8 weeks?

Claim #6 : WHO + US CDC Do Not Endorse Anything That Works
Verdict : False

Dr. Selvam Rengsamy said that “they have never endorsed anything that works. Honestly. I mean, they don’t endorse anything that is natural, that is safe and extremely effective, with zero side effects“.

That is categorically not true, even if we merely look at the narrow context of COVID-19 treatments.

The WHO Solidarity Trial, for example, found that corticosteroids were effective in treating severe and critical COVID-19.

Hence, corticosteroids are now part of the standard of care worldwide for patients with severe or critical COVID-19.

And both the WHO and US CDC have strongly endorsed COVID-19 vaccines, which have all been proven to offer robust protection against COVID-19.

Recommended : Why COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy Does NOT Matter!

Claim #7 : Ivermectin Is Only Way To Cut Chain Of Infection
Verdict : False

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ali said in the end that there is only one solution (to cut the chain of infection) he can think of – use ivermectin.

The truth is there are many ways to cut the chain of infection. We just need to target ANY of these six links in the chain of infection :

1. Entry Portal (how the virus gets in)
   The SARS-CoV-2 virus gets in through our eyes, nose and mouth. To break this link in the chain :
   – Wear a face mask / respirator and face shield / eyewear.
   – Maintain good hand hygiene.
2. The Reservoir (where the virus lives)
   The SARS-CoV-2 virus lives in our respiratory tract. To break this link in the chain :
   – Enact lockdowns to prevent people from socialising.
   – Maintain physical distance from other people.
3. Exit Portal (how the virus gets out)
   The SARS-CoV-2 virus exits the host through droplets and aerosols. To break this link in the chain :
   – Wear a face mask / respirator.
   – Maintain physical distance from other people.
   – Improve indoor aeration.
4. Transmission (how the virus spreads)
   The SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads through droplets and aerosol. To break this link in the chain :
   – Enact lockdowns to prevent people from socialising.
   – Wear a face mask / respirator and face shield / eyewear.
   – Maintain good hand hygiene.
5. Viable Host
   The SARS-CoV-2 virus can only replicate in a vulnerable host. To break this link in the chain :
   – Vaccinate against COVID-19!

Now that vaccines are readily available, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is our best way out of this pandemic.

So stop obsessing over ivermectin and supplements as a prophylaxis. We already have prophylaxis that works – COVID-19 vaccines!

Why pop pills every single day, when you can get protected against COVID-19 with just 1 to 2 injections?

 

 

Recommended Reading

• Ivermectin + Supplements : Better Than COVID-19 Vaccines?
• Illegal Ivermectin Sale : Up to RM50K Fine + 5 Years Jail!
• Is It Dangerous To Eat Durian After COVID-19 Vaccination?
• Did WHO Say Children Should NOT Get COVID-19 Vaccine?
• Did COVID-19 Leak From Gilead Sciences Lab In Fort Detrick?
• How To Register Children For Vaccine In MySejahtera!
• Fact Check : Swollen Feet From COVID-19 Vaccine?
• Latest Ivermectin COVID-19 Study : What Does It Really Say?
• 28 Post-AZ Vaccine Deaths In Taiwan : What Do They Mean?
• Did US Refuse To Let WHO Investigate Fort Detrick For C19?
• Was US Soldier Caught Spreading COVID-19 In Wuhan?
• Did Christian Eriksen Collapse After Receiving Pfizer Vaccine?
• Did COVID-19 Leak From Gilead Sciences Fort Detrick Lab?

Go Back To > Fact Check | Health | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Thank you!