Hospital debunks story that claimed 'gunshot victims left waiting' because of ivermectin overdoses

An Oklahoma hospital corrected the record Saturday after the mainstream media pushed a false story claiming "gunshot victims" had been turned away after experiencing a surge of patients who purportedly overdosed on ivermectin.

What is the background?

Rolling Stone published a headline that said, "Gunshot Victims Left Waiting as Horse Dewormer Overdoses Overwhelm Oklahoma Hospitals, Doctor Says."

The story was built on a single interview that Oklahoma-based physician Dr. Jason McElyea gave to KFOR-TV. In that interview, McElyea claimed "the [emergency rooms] are so backed up that gunshot victims were having hard times getting to facilities where they can get definitive care and be treated" because people with COVID-19 are allegedly overdosing on ivermectin.

The claim was widely circulated by Democrats and the mainstream media, including the New York Times (which linked to KFOR's story), The Hill, Newsweek, The Guardian, Insider, and even MSNBC host Rachel Maddow.

What is the truth?

The hospital that KFOR stated McElyea was associated with — Northeastern Health System - Sequoyah — released a statement Saturday revealing that McElyea is "not an employee" there, and explained the hospital has not experienced a single case of ivermectin overdose.

Although Dr. Jason McElyea is not an employee of NHS Sequoyah, he is affiliated with a medical staffing group that provides coverage for our emergency room. With that said, Dr. McElyea has not worked at our Sallisaw location in over 2 months.

NHS Sequoyah has not treated any patients due to complications related to taking ivermectin. This includes not treating any patients for ivermectin overdose.

All patients who have visited our emergency room have received medical attention as appropriate. Our hospital has not had to turn away any patients seeking emergency care. We want to reassure our community that our staff is working hard to provide quality healthcare to all patients. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify this issue and as always, we value our community's support.

In an interview with KXMX-FM, hospital administrator Stephanie Six reaffirmed what the statement said.

"We at NHS-Sequoyah have not seen or had any patients in our ER or hospital with ivermectin overdose," Six said. "We have not had any patients with complaints or issues related to ivermectin."

"I can't speak for what he has witnessed at other facilities but this in not true for ours," she explained. "We certainly have not turned any patients away due to an overload of ivermectin related cases. All patients who have come into our ER have been treated as appropriate."