Joe Rogan says he has COVID-19 and is taking horse dewormer to treat it


Influential podcaster Joe Rogan announced on Wednesday that he tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend, and as part of his treatment, has taken ivermectin, the anti-parasitic drug commonly used on livestock, though there is a version for humans.
In an Instagram video, the Joe Rogan Experience host said he felt "very weary" on Saturday, and was tested for COVID-19 on Sunday. That night, he "got fevers and sweats and I knew what was going on," he added. Once he was diagnosed with COVID-19, Rogan said he started taking antibiotics and monoclinal antibody therapy, as well as ivermectin.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned people against using ivermectin to treat COVID-19, as it isn't approved and a clinical trial "yielded insufficient evidence" it worked. The drug has been pushed by several right-wing cable and radio hosts, and public health officials say there has been a sharp increase in calls about ivermectin to poison control centers.
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During an April episode of his podcast, Rogan was asked if he would suggest a 21-year-old get vaccinated against COVID-19, and he said no, CNN reports. "If you're a healthy person, and you're exercising all the time, and you're young, and you're eating well, like, I don't think you need to worry about this," Rogan said. After the episode was released, Rogan stated he is "not an anti-vax person" and "not a respected source of information, even for me."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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