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Washington County Detention Center Ivermectin Class Action Overview:
- Who: A group of men detained at Washington County Detention Center in Arkansas are suing the jail.
- Why: The men say the jail’s medical staff gave them the anti-parasite drug ivermectin to treat COVID-19 but told them the medicine was vitamins.
- Where: The lawsuit was filed in Arkansas.
A group of men who are detained at Washington County Detention Center in Arkansas say they were given an anti-parasite drug for COVID-19 that they did not consent to and that has not been approved by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to treat coronavirus, according to a new class action lawsuit.
On Jan. 19, the American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit against the jail and its doctor on behalf of the inmates, CBS reports.
The lawsuit alleges that the jail’s medical staff gave the men the anti-parasite drug ivermectin to treat COVID-19 while telling them the pills were “vitamins.”
It states that the FDA has warned against using the drug to treat COVID-19 and that it is only approved by the federal agency to treat river blindness, intestinal strongyloidiasis, head lice and rosacea.
“Without knowing and voluntary consent, Plaintiffs ingested incredibly high doses of a drug that credible medical professionals, the FDA,and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all agree is not an effective treatment against COVID-19,” the lawsuit reportedly states.
The experimental treatment was confirmed at a local finance and budget committee meeting in Aug. 2021 by County Sheriff Tim Helder.
According to the lawsuit, the jail’s medical staff told inmates the ivermectin pills were “vitamins,” “antibiotics” or “steroids.”
Jail’s Medical Team Distributed At Least 200 Ivermectin Pills To Detainees
Documents allegedly show that in Nov. 2020, the jail’s medical team distributed at least 200 pills of ivermectin to detainees at the Washington County Detention Center.
Two-thirds of the people being held at Washington County Detention Center have not been convicted of their accused crime and are still awaiting trial, lawyers for the plaintiffs said.
Gary Sullivan, legal director of the ACLU of Arkansas, said in a statement that “no one — including incarcerated individuals — should be deceived and subject to medical experimentation.”
The inmates are seeking medical evaluation by an independent doctor, costs, fees and other relief they are legally entitled to.
In Sept. 2021, Hawaiian inmates who filed a class action lawsuit over claims they were not properly protected from COVID-19 reached a settlement agreement with the state. In that case, the settlement includes the formation of an oversight committee to investigate and report on how prisons in Hawaii are following COVID-related health and safety guidelines.
What do you think of the jail’s alleged treatment of inmates in this case? Let us know in the comments!
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