If you see many people doing something online, it’s easy to start thinking that you should try it, too.Memes become omnipresent for a variety of reasons. They might be fodder for entertaining video footage, or provide a tool for people to express themselves, or cater to deep-seated hopes or anxieties. Ivermectin, which is used for some human applications and for horse deworming, answered the desire for a COVID miracle cure in the face of the US recent surge in infections caused by the Delta variant. The drug has been the subject of medical studies for its supposed efficacy in treating COVID-19, but there is little rigorous data on the subject; one recent study found that it does not alleviate mild coronavirus symptoms. Still, over the past few months it has been publicized by figures such as Rand Paul, Ron Johnson, & the Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham & Tucker Carlson, and Joe Rogan."
At www.newyorker.com
