Posted on: Thu 28-05-2020

The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora, yesterday said there had been a “general reduction in mortality trend and continued improvement in recoveries as shown in discharges (of COVID-19 patients) compared to the increase in number of confirmed cases.”

Making the disclosure at the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 yesterday in Abuja, the erstwhile Lagos State House of Assembly speaker said government was concerned about the increasing number of confirmed cases because “very high cases could seriously exceed the capacity of our health system to cope. Routine cases may also suffer as a result.”

He observed that while most of those who died were associated with comorbidities, “we find out that three out of four of those who have been discharged were without comorbidities. This is consistent with the fact that risks are higher for those with other illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes and other chronic non- communicable diseases.”

The minister went on: Last week, I led the Federal Ministry of Health team to a virtual meeting with traditional, complementary and alternative medicine practitioners to discuss and explore opportunities for local solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting provided an opportunity for the practitioners to understand the procedures for validating medicines for use in the country. We were also able to find common grounds for collaboration. Government will support every genuine effort aimed at finding a local solution to the pandemic.”

He pointed out that the trado-medicine stakeholders still had registration issues with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as well as others revolving around intellectual property rights and funding.

Source: Guardian 

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