A northwest Arkansas jail and its doctor who are being sued by inmates for treating them with ivermectin without consent have been recognized for a "job well done" by local leaders.
As CBS reported, despite a lawsuit filed by the Arkansas ACLU against Dr. Robert Karas on behalf of four inmates for alleged treatment with ivermectin without their consent, Washington County Justice of the Peace Patrick Deakins introduced a resolution commending Karas for doing a good job in his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ivermectin is approved for use by people and animals for some parasitic worms, head lice and skin conditions. The drug is not approved for treating COVID-19.
Dr. Robert Karas has dozens of lawsuits filed against him for allegedly providing inadequate medical care for inmates at the jail, as CBS reported.
Deakins, who is a Republican, said during a Monday meeting, "I don't know the science behind COVID and I'm not so sure anybody does," he said. "I'm certainly not a doctor and I'm certainly not a virologist, and none of us on this panel are. I don't know the value of one treatment or the appropriateness of it. I don't know the efficacy of ivermectin and I don't know the most useful ways to treat any one individual, and those are not the debate of this resolution, I just want what's best for the health and safety of the county."
In the resolution, as CBS reported, it states that "While over 850 cases of the infection has been recorded in the Washington County Detention Center, Dr. Robert Karas and Karas Correctional Health have effectively treated those cases which has resulted in zero fatalities from the virus."
The northwest Arkansas jail and Dr. Karas have asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit from inmates who say they were unknowingly given ivermectin to treat COVID-19.
Attorneys for the Washington County sheriff, the jail and Dr. Robert Karas cited several grounds in a court filing for why they believe the lawsuit should be dismissed. The Food and Drug Administration has approved ivermectin for use by people and animals for some parasitic worms, head lice and skin conditions.
The FDA has not approved its use for COVID-19 in humans. The sheriff in August revealed that some inmates had been prescribed ivermectin for the coronavirus before four inmates sued last month.
The inmates say they were unknowingly prescribed the anti-parasitic drug to treat their COVID-19 and told it was something else. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Washington County jail, Sheriff Tim Helder and jail physician Dr. Robert Karas.
Helder in August revealed had been prescribed ivermectin to treat COVID-19.
Justice of the Peace Eva Madison said "If you talk to individuals at our local hospitals that are treating patients after Dr. Karas has treated them, they are very ill," she said. "How can we tout nobody died when the individuals in this lawsuit claimed health consequences from what he did to them."
Madison said, "You can agree or disagree with the lawsuit, Dr. Karas, but why in the world would this body endorse a practice that's being challenged in court?"
