Mom Who Wanted Ivermectin Treatment Dies Of COVID-19, Husband Still Hospitalized

A woman in Illinois who sought to have her COVID-19 infection treated with a drug not approved for the virus has died, officials said.

Maria Abbinanti, 40, died at Amita Health St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin at around 2 a.m. Wednesday, Daily Herald reported, citing Kane County Coroner Rob Russell.

Details regarding the mother of three's death were unclear.

Abbinanti was not vaccinated because she suffered from allergies for more than a year, and a physician advised against getting jabbed until tests to determine their cause were completed, a report by ShawLocal.com said.

She was survived by her three boys, aged 4, 9 and 12, and her 41-year-old husband, Sebastian Abbinanti, who was also infected with COVID-19 and remained hospitalized.

Family, friends and community members gathered outside Amita Health St. Joseph Hospital as news of Maria's death circulated.

Attorney Patrick Walsh filed an emergency motion on behalf of Maria and her husband in Kane County on Dec. 15, which sought the use of the drug ivermectin to treat their condition.

Kane County Judge Robert Villa denied the temporary order that would have allowed the Abbinantis access to the drug last Friday, according to a different report by ShawLocal.com.

Walsh, in response, filed an expedited appeal of the order that denied the temporary restraining order. The hospital had two days to respond to the appeal, which the court would then follow with a rule within five days.

It was unclear if a response was submitted before Maria's death.

Ivermectin is approved for human use to treat infections caused by some parasitic worms and head lice and skin conditions such as rosacea. A different formulation of the drug also exists, but it is used to treat or prevent parasites in animals.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however, has not approved or authorized both versions of the drug for use in preventing or treating COVID-19.

While there’s evidence to suggest that the drug can help people with COVID-19, currently available data showed the drug was ineffective against the virus, according to the FDA.

Additionally, the agency noted that taking large doses of it could be "dangerous."

"Never use medications intended for animals on yourself or other people. Animal ivermectin products are very different from those approved for humans," the FDA said.

Despite this, some allies of former President Donald Trump, along with conservatives and anti-vaccine activists, believe ivermectin can be used to treat COVID-19.

The drug found prominence among these groups after the former head of state and the same allies failed to push the unproven drug hydroxychloroquine as a miracle cure that could defeat the virus.

The Abbinantis’ physician, Dr. Sergei Lipov, claimed that he and another doctor agreed that it was "very reasonable to initiate [ivermectin]" considering the couple's "poor prognosis."

Doctors attempted to write the prescription, but they were told it was against the hospital's policy to administer the drug to treat COVD-19 patients, court filings showed.

"The hospital is interfering with the doctor-patient relationship and usurping Dr. Lipov's authority to prescribe care for his patient," Walsh said in his filing.

The United States has reported a total of 51,546,004 COVID-19 cases and 812,069 deaths, data provided by Johns Hopkins University showed.