Minister for Information, Culture and Tourism, Lai Mohammed, has restated that there is no cure for the coronavirus pandemic yet, as against news insinuating the cure for the disease.
Mr Mohammed stated this in Abuja when he featured on the forum organised by the News Agency of Nigeria to update the public on the government’s efforts toward containing the pandemic.
The minister says the rising spate of fake news and misinformation, in spite of repeated caution by government, is distracting the fight against Coronavirus (COVID-19).
POLITICS NIGERIA understands that the World Health Organization (WHO) has on several occasions explained that researchers are working on getting the cure for the disease.
Although there are speculations that Chloroquine has proved efficient in the process of treating coronavirus patients, it is yet to be approved by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).
Meanwhile, the minister said that the government is particularly worried about unverified local therapies circulating on social media as cure to COVID-19 when in actual fact, no known cure had been developed for the disease.
“If you go by Whatsapp platform, there are so many myths and cure for COVID-19 today.
“Some people will tell you, it cannot affect Africans or the disease is not even existing at all, while some will say, all you need to do is to take garlic, take ginger.
“As we speak today, there is no vaccine or medicine for COVID-19.
“The only weapon to combat the virus is what we called Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention (NPI), which are largely sensitisation, advocacy, keeping very good hygiene, social distancing, not shaking hands and no gathering.
“These are the only effective ways to contain the pandemic and that is why governments are declaring total lockdown.
“Once it starts spreading, no healthcare in the world can survive it,” he warned.
The minister said that if Nigerians do not change their ways, the country might witness an upsurge in infection of the deadly disease.
Official data from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as of Friday says the country has recorded 190 coronavirus cases.
