Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora, has urged governors and other political leaders to avoid acts that may mislead the people or jeopardise the current efforts to tackle the pandemic.
Mamora, at the press briefing, pleaded with the governors not to issue directives or take decisions that might endanger public health and safety.
He also disagreed with those who had described the pandemic as a hoax, saying no one should mislead Nigerians or try to trivialise what is now regarded as a major global public health concern.
Speaking with reference to a statement credited to Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, who had tested positive for COVID-19 that he recovered after using herbal medicine, the minister said care should be taken to avoid endangering public health.
“I am not aware of the treatment protocol His Excellency, the Governor of Oyo State had to test negative and I am not even aware of where he was treated, to be able to make a categorical statement,” he said.
Mamora said he had received telephone calls and text messages from people claiming to have developed herbal remedy against the virus but that his response had always been to refer them to the department of the ministry in charge of herbal medicine.
The minister said before anyone could claim the efficacy of a drug in the treatment of diseases, such a drug must have been subjected to clinical tests and declared effective.
Making a presentation at the briefing, NCDC Director-General, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said: “We should remember that 90 per cent of COVID-19 patients recover without taking any drug intervention and so any person that takes something and say that he has been cured because of that, it doesn’t add up.”
For instance, Ihekweazu said only 20 per cent of Lassa fever patients die, with 80 per cent others surviving without any particular drug treatment.
Ihekweazu added that the centre has trained 270 health workers in each state of the federation on Coronavirus response.
He also appealed to government officials not to disclose the health details of victims of COVID-19.