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Can Zinc Cure COVID?
So, I was at a conference this weekend (small, masks and vaccination required) and there was this one guy who kept telling everyone who didn’t want to listen (By which I mean he was cornering the people working registration, the vendors in the dealer room, volunteers who couldn’t leave their station) about how zinc cures COVID. Specifically, he was talking about some studies which showed that it was possible that zinc sulfate and a zinc ionophore had action against both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. And talking. And talking…
Thankfully, he was not proposing people take zinc instead of getting vaccinated, but rather trying to talk us into taking zinc if we got a symptomatic breakthrough infection. Although he did also mention Ivermectin and I have no patience with even brief mentions of Ivermectin in this context right now.
So, let’s unpack this. Can zinc treat COVID-19?
What is Zinc Good For?
Zinc is an “essential trace element.” Which means we need it and we can’t synthesize it from other stuff. Zinc is required for the normal function of a number of things including thyroid function, fertility, vision and, yes, immune function.
Most omnivores already get enough zinc. It’s found in meats, seafood and dairy. It’s also not generally a problem for vegans and vegetarians as it’s also found in nuts…