Amberly Johnson became director of the Utah Poison Control Center in late 2019—just a few months before COVID-19 spread worldwide. The pandemic led to an additional assignment: director of the Utah Coronavirus Hotline, a partnership with the Utah Department of Health that provided science-based, expert advice on the safety and effectiveness for various approaches to prevent and treat the virus.
As a widely recognized expert on toxicological issues, Johnson has given over 30 presentations, sharing her knowledge with groups that include Utah health departments, emergency responders and local and national associations. The Utah Poison Control Center manages over 40,000 poison cases annually and provides information about health threats posed by a wide range of substances, from harmful algal blooms to Tide Pods and glow sticks. Johnson serves as a member of the Fatality Review Team of America’s Poison Centers as well as on four state review and advisory committees that monitor substance abuse and related deaths.
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Officials said the Utah Poison Control Center has had four times the number of calls about ivermectin than they did back in 2020. People have been using the drug to try and treat or prevent COVID-19. The state epidemiologist said there’s no data showing the drug can help. Some have been trying to obtain prescriptions for to treat or prevent COVID-19, which the poison control center still wouldn’t recommend.
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