The 47-year-old woman, hospitalized with COVID-19, has died on Friday. According to reports, her husband sued the hospital in October in an attempt to require doctors to administer ivermectin, a drug used to treat conditions caused by parasitic worms. But, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the drug to treat COVID-19, saying it hasn’t proven effective in pre-clinical trials.
The 47-year-old school teacher from Florida, Tamara Drock, died on Friday, 12 weeks after being admitted to hospital. The County Circuit Judge Nutt rejected her husband’s, Ryan Drock, lawsuit last month, stating that allowing judges to countermand doctors’ decisions could set a dangerous precedent. He urged the Drocks and the hospital to try to reach an agreement on their own.
In the husband’s filing, he offered to release the hospital from any liability for the controversial treatment. But the judge dismissed his petition, saying he had no legal right to demand a particular treatment. An emergency room physician at a different facility had reportedly authorized the use of the drug for the 47-year0old woman and there was a pharmacy available to fill the prescription.
According to report, the doctor agreed to administer ivermectin at a dosage the family’s attorney said was too low, but the lawyer said it was more about the right to choose what happens to your body.
The mother-of-two died on November 12 from complications due to COVID-19. She leaves behind her husband, her 14-year-old daughter Emily and her 12-year-old son Parker. The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover Tamara’s medical bills.
It has raised over $10, 660 out of its $150,000 goal as of Wednesday morning, November 17. This story will be updated as new information become available.