COVID-19: FG lists 5 states, FCT for WHO solidarity drug trials

…As Buhari orders PTF to subject Madagascar’s herbal remedy to scientific analysis

Five states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are to participate in the solidarity drug trials,’ an international clinical trial, being spearheaded by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to help find a cure for the COVID-19, the Federal Government has said.

The solidarity drug trials which is an international clinical trial to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19, was launched recently by the WHO and partners.

Disclosing this at Monday’s briefing of the Presidential Taskforce PTF on COVID-19, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire listed the states to include Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto.

Elaborating on the trials, the minister said; “Federal Government is cooperating with the WHO on treatment regimen Solidarity trial with the following states enrolled; Lagos, FCT, Ogun, Kaduna, Sokoto and Kano”.

Ehanire stressed that all countries are interested in finding a cure to the deadly COVID-19 and Nigeria is also looking at all options.

Giving an update on the spread of the disease in Kano, the minister said that it has deployed its team to assist in containing the virus.

“The Ministerial Task Team deployed to Kano State to assist in the containment effort and provide direction in managing the COVID-19 situation has made significant gains,” he said.

He added that the team has achieved the following milestones: “Enhancing community confidence, continuous training snd capacity building to increase the pool of trained healthcaret workers (doctors, nurses, hygienist, etc), food handlers.

“More than 100 ambulance drivers and patient handlers have been trained, who have since been rendering service.

“The surveillance and Epidemiology pillar organised a training session for state workers who have commenced field work.

“The investigation into unexplained deaths in the state is yet to complete its work”.

On Katsina, the team added that the PTF team led by Dr. Gwarzo and three experts including Infectious disease specialists visited Katsina State for situation analysis and were able to offer support.

Speaking at the briefing, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said the Federal Government has directed the Presidential Task Force on coronavirus otherwise refferred to as COVID-19 to pick up Covid-Organics, Madagascar’s self-proclaimed, plant-based ‘remedy’ for the virus.

The directive, according to the SGF, was given by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday.

Mustapha said the plan is to get the product and subject it to analysis to see how it works, how it is used.

“Concerning the question on the cure from Madagascar, this has been making the news and we have the promise of being able to get a sample of the herb/botanical product for analysis and also probably use that opportunity to speak with the health authorities particularly the scientific community on how they use it.

“We will also give that to the research community with us here (in Nigeria) to examine and do what they can do with it.

“We will like to compare the sample with the strain here in our country whether they are identical or similar and see what properties it has. Things like that are normally subjected to analysis to find out how it works,” Mustapha said.

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He, however, said that the President had instructed him to ensure that Nigeria’s consignment of the syrup was ferried home and must be passed through the normal validation protocols that all other such potential cures or vaccines had to go through.

“It’s been sent to Guinea Bissau by the President or Prime Minister of Madagascar and certain allocations have been made to different countries. We have an indication of the quantity that has been allocated to Nigeria and we are supposed to make an arrangement to freight it out of Guinea Bissau to Nigeria.

“I’ve received instructions from Mr President to make arrangements to freight it home, with a clear instruction that I should subject it to the validation process similar to what will happen to any other medicine or syrup or vaccine that is discovered or created internally. So it will be subjected to the same process before it is put into any form of use. There’ll be no exception for that”, he said.