The 15 members of the West African sub-regional bloc ECOWAS are reportedly waiting anxiously for their consignment of Covid-Organics, the herbal drug from Madagascar touted to be able to cure and treat Covid-19.
Madagascar on May 1 donated a large consignment of the Covid-organics to Guinea Bissau to distribute to other ECOWAS member countries.
President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea Bissau said a ceremony to receive the drugs that “This donation is part of the fight against the global pandemic called COVID-19. I would like to say that with this, Guinea-Bissau will be seen as a different kind of nation.”
“It will be seen as a country that still has good people. And today, the world will talk about Guinea-Bissau,” he added.
Embalo’s chief of staff, Califa Soares Cassama said the 14 other members of ECOWAS are waiting for drug.
President Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar had said that the donation was for countries across the West African sub-region.
The packages received by the Guinea Bissau delegation were branded with flags of different ECOWAS nations.
But the ECOWAS secretariat has yet to speak on the donation while the WHO has cautioned against self-medication.
Donations have already been made to Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Republic of Congo. Tanzania and Comoros have all publicly expressed interest in receiving donations.
The drug is produced from the artemisia plant – the source of an ingredient used in a malaria treatment – and other Malagasy plants.
Covid-Organics was developed by the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research (Imra).
As at May 3, 53 African countries had reported of 42,713 covid-19 cases, 1754 deaths, and 14,152 recoveries.
#COVID19 update (3 May 2020, 9.00 am Eastern Africa Time): 53 @_AfricanUnion Member States reporting 42,713 cases, 1754 deaths, and 14,152 recoveries. More information at https://t.co/teDFU1XFLZ#FactsNotFear #AfricaResponds pic.twitter.com/HS5dXQZuqF
— Africa CDC (@AfricaCDC) May 3, 2020
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