Covid-19: Uttarakhand to distribute Ivermectin tablets to all residents

The Uttarakhand Government has ordered officials for mass distribution of Ivermectin tablets to all residents as a preventive medicine against the spread of COVID-19, a senior official said.

This announcement comes after Goa and Karnataka issued similar directions.

According to an order issued by Chief Secretary Om Prakash to all district magistrates, the decision was taken on the recommendation of the state-level clinical technical committee.

The panel has recommended the Ivermectin tablet as "mass chemoprophylaxis" to effectively combat COVID-19 surge apart from the ongoing vaccination drive, the order said.

A family of four has to be given 24 tablets of ivermectin (12 mg). "Ivermectin tablets have to be taken by adults and those aged above 15 twice daily for three days after breakfast and dinner. An individual will need six tablets and a family of four will need 24 tablets. Hence, each kit will contain two dozen tablets," the order said.

Ivermectin is an FDA-approved medicine broadly used to treat parasitic infections.

Uttarakhand recorded 7,749 fresh COVID cases and 109 deaths on Wednesday, according to the state health department. Meanwhile, 7,005 patients have recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours. The new fatalities pushed the COVID death toll in the state to 4,123.