Madagascar President Says WHO has Okayed Supposed COVID-19 Cure

The President of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina says WHO has agreed to sign a confidentiality clause on the formulation of Madagascar’s herbal coronavirus ‘cure’.

The president who spoke to WHO’s Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom on video link said the organization will also will support the clinical observations process for the cure  in Africa.

The latest comes after Rajoelina urged the country’s residents to drink COVID Organics (CVO), an organic herbal beverage he claimed could prevent or cure the virus.

“Let’s drink this herbal tea to protect ourselves, to protect our family and our neighbours […] and there will be no more deaths,” Andry Rajoelina said in a speech on Sunday night, according to local daily L’express de Madagascar.

The island off the southeastern coast of Africa has confirmed 304 COVID-19 cases, with one death and 114 recoveries, according to data compiled by the US-based John Hopkins University.

The single fatality was a person who was battling diabetes with the president saying the wonder drug is being distributed for free in the virus hotspots.

Rajoelina said his government was collaborating with foreign doctors and scientists to study alternative research possibilities, though carrying on with trials of the Artemisia plant, the main component of CVO.

Known under the scientific name of Artemesia Annua, the plant of Chinese origin was first imported to Madagascar in the 1970s to treat malaria.

So far, Madagascar has sent CVO to several African countries including Comoros Island, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Niger, Tanzania, Nigeria, Senegal and Chad.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) previously warned against the use of CVO without medical supervision and cautioned against self-medication.