Pro-Trump cartoonist Ben Garrison says he has COVID-19 and is treating it with ivermectin and beet juice
Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto via Getty Images
- Pro-Trump cartoonist Ben Garrison says he is treating a bout of COVID-19 with ivermectin and beets.
- Neither are proven COVID-19 treatments. Garrison said he will "never" go to hospital to treat it.
- He repeated many false claims about the virus and the vaccine in an interview with Gizmodo.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Right-wing cartoonist Ben Garrison said he has a "rough" case of COVID-19 and is treating it with ivermectin and beet juice, according to Gizmodo.
Garrison, known for his strongly pro-Trump cartoons, told the outlet that he and his wife had been sick for about two weeks with the virus, which they believe they picked up in a restaurant.
Garrison told the outlet he and his wife, both in their 60s, are drinking beet juice, as well as "taking Ivermectin and various vitamins including a lot of Zinc."
Beets have many health benefits, as Insider's Ashley Laderer reported, but they have not been proven to treat or prevent COVID-19.
As for vitamin supplements including zinc, Harvard Health Blog wrote in April that "most of the evidence is unconvincing" that they can effectively treat the virus.
Ivermectin is an inexpensive, widely-available drug that has been falsely touted by fringe medics as a miracle cure for COVID-19, as Insider's Hilary Brueck reported.
It is not approved as a COVID-19 cure by the FDA, which states that currently available data indicate it's not effective for the virus.
Nonetheless, it is increasingly being touted by anti-vaxxers as an alternative to the COVID-19 vaccines, a position Garrison seems to endorse.
He told Gizmodo he and his wife will "never" get vaccinated or go to the hospital for COVID-19 treatment, while repeating a number of false claims about both things.
Garrison's cartoons usually lampoon Democratic and left-wing figures, but have also had a lot to say about the virus - including endorsing unproven treatments like ivermectin.
One cartoon, tweeted from an account called @CartoonsBen and purporting to be controlled by Garrison and his wife, illustrates the sentiment. Garrison did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment and clarification over the ownership of the account.
-Ben Garrison Cartoons GrrrGraphics.com (@CartoonsBen) September 6, 2021
In the cartoon, a horse labeled "ivermectin" is seen kicking a figure labeled "Dr Fauci," who is holding a drooping syringe labeled "medical industrial complex."
"Get some horse sense!" the horse is saying - a reference to the fact that ivermectin is most commonly used as a veterinarian treatment.
In a lengthy blog post accompanying the cartoon on Garrison's website, he said: "My vet confirmed that anything your horse can take is safe for humans." This, as Insider's Canela López reported, is misleading advice.
Marianne Guenot contributed reporting to this article.
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