The Goa government is now in a fix after the central government dropped the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin from its COVID-19 management protocol. The Goa government’s recent initiative to distribute crores of rupees worth of ivermectin tablets as a preventive measure against COVID-19 will now have to be put on hold.
This comes after the central Health ministry’s Directorate General of Health Services issued a circular dopping ivermectin among several other drugs from its list for the treatment of COVID-19.
“I have sent the circular to the Secretary of Health. We will have to see,” Sawant told reporters at the state Secretariat.
It is to be noted that on May 10 the Goa government recommended that all persons above the age of 18 should take five tablets of ivermectin, to prevent the viral load. The tablets were to be distributed at ll public health centres and through officials of the Women and Child Development as well as anganwadi workers.
Meanwhile, the Goa government has extended the COVID-19 necessitated state-wide curfew till June 14 with certain relaxations. It has decided to increase the timings for essential shops from 7 am to 3 pm.
(IANS inputs)