Dr. Perlmutter: Could a Second Wave of COVID-19 Strike, Even After the US Reopens?

What if, after the country reopens, there's a second wave of the COVID-19 virus? That's why researchers are hard at work developing new therapies to treat victims.

Neurologist and best-selling author, Dr. David Perlmutter joined Pat Robertson on Tuesday's 700 Club to talk about some exciting new treatments on the horizon.

One of them involves an anti-parasitic drug called Ivermectin that has been used to treat worm infestations in developing nations and to treat head lice here in the United States. It's widely used on horses and cattle.

"Some very forward-looking researchers in Melbourne, Australia have found that this Ivermectin reduced the amount of COVID-19 in cell cultures by 5,000 fold in 48 hours," Perlmutter said. 

"Now, we know that Ivermectin has powerful antiviral activity. It has been used effectively [to treat] dengue and West Nile virus as well. But I want to make one thing clear: the current study did show incredible effectiveness against the Coronavirus that we're dealing with right now, but that was not yet in humans. The very, very good news is that Ivermectin is available worldwide. It's on the WHO's list of essential medicines and used worldwide. So once the human trials can get underway on a drug already approved we might see something very effective become rapidly available  and I'm very excited about that."

Ivermectin is also an ingredient in heartworm prevention medication for dogs. "That does not mean people should consider taking their dog's heartworm medicine," Perlmutter cautioned. "We are still quite a way off in this application."

To see Pat Robertson's entire interview with Dr. David Perlmutter on Tuesday's The 700 Club, click on the box above.

Plasma therapy is also being used effectively to treat COVID-19. This involves using blood plasma from people who have recovered from the virus and infusing it into those who are at risk of contracting it or already have it. Plasma therapy is not new – it was first done during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.

"The death rate in 1918 was reduced by 21 percent by using plasma treatment," Perlmutter said.

Intravenous Vitamin C treatment also shows promise in treating this Coronavirus because it is a powerful anti-inflammatory as well as a powerful anti-oxidant. Vitamin C quenches the free radicals produced by the virus.

But taking daily Vitamin C is also a good idea during this pandemic. "Having a good level of Vitamin C on board, as well as Vitamin D and zinc makes good sense," Perlmutter said.

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