While the Omicron variant of the the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus seems to be causing less severe disease than the Delta variant, itโs still landing some people in hospitals, highlighting the need for effective treatment before cases progress to that stage, a frontline doctor says.
Dr. Syed Haider has treated more than 4,000 COVID-19-positive patients so far during the pandemic. Just five ended up going to a hospital, and none have died.
The doctor said his preferred treatments include many off-label medications along with vitamins and supplements.
โVitamin D is really important, ivermectin is important, fluvoxamine, hydroxychloroquine also works, itโs just a lot of people have been convinced that it doesnโt at this point, and are scared off of trying it,โ Haider told NTDโs โCapitol Report.โ โBut I prefer ivermectin, fluvoxamine, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, quercetin, zinc.โ
Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic that has had mixed results against COVID-19 in clinical trials and isnโt advised by the Food and Drug Administration to treat the disease. Fluvoxamine is an antidepressant thatโs gaining popularity for use against COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malarial that has shown some success in treating the disease. Quercetin is a plant pigment thatโs not widely known yet as a treatment for COVID-19.
Haider has also recommended flax seed oil.
โOne really easy thing that anyone can do is just follow the directions on a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, you can get this at the store, can dilute it down to 1 percent swish swish it through your nose, or swish it through your mouth and drip it into your nose or use a neti pot to rinse out your nose. And itโs not uncomfortable, it shouldnโt be burning, if itโs burning, you would want to dilute it a little bit more, and that kills the virus on contact,โ he said.
Haiderโs list differs from the National Institutes of Healthโs recently updated treatment recommendations for non hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
The agency recommends using Pfizerโs COVID-19 pill, known as paxlovid; Merckโs pill, called molnupiravir; GlaxoSmithKlineโs monoclonal antibody treatment, sotrovimab; or Gilead Sciencesโs remdesivir, administered through IV over multiple days.
The recommendations stem from studies that demonstrate the therapeuticsโ effectiveness, the agency said.
Haider, however, doesnโt agree with the remdesivir recommendation, noting itโs never received an endorsement from the World Health Organization and that it has the side effect of causing kidney failure.
The virus that causes COVID-19, he said, is โvery, very easily treatableโ if early treatment is done with off-label drugs, Haider stressed.
He advises people get prepared ahead of time.
โI think people need to take this seriously and get medications on hand before they get sick,โ Dr. Syed Haider told โCapitol Report.โ
While Omicron often manifests as a bad cold, even some people who are considered at low-risk of developing severe disease will end up with severe cases, the doctor said. Additionally, emerging data indicate that the protection provided by both vaccination and natural immunity isnโt as good against Omicron, emphasizing the need to be ready.
Byย Zachary Stieber