COVID-19: Stop revealing drugs used for treatment - FG tells survivors
- The federal government says the recent trend of survivors of COVID-19 revealing how they were treated is unacceptable
- Some COVID-19 survivours have been revealing the drugs used for their treatment on social media and media interviews
- The government warned that the action could encourage patients to indulge in self-medication instead of seeking help from NCDC
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The federal government on Friday, May 15 asked COVID-19 survivors to stop revealing the drugs used for their treatment in order to discourage self-medication among Nigerians.
The chairman, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha, made the plea at the task force press briefing in Abuja.
Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), expressed worry that disclosing the prescription for treatment of the virus could encourage patients to indulge in self-medication instead of seeking help from health authorities.
He urged all Nigerians that have symptoms of COVID-19 to test for the virus and if positive, go into the isolation centres for care by experts.
His words: “The PTF congratulates and appreciates the testimonies of Nigerians who have recovered from COVID-19, which has given us more insights and further strengthens the need to adhere strictly to guidelines issued.
“However, an emerging issue from all these testimonies is the issue of prescription for treatments.
“We should always remember that the symptoms of COVID-19 mimic some illnesses we already know but treating the symptoms is not the same as treating the virus. For this reason, we strongly discourage self-medication.”
He also said that five states in Nigeria were currently participating in the on-going World Health Organization (WHO)-coordinated solidarity trial to find a cure for the pandemic.
According to him, at the end of this trial, relevant health authorities would make statements on acceptable drugs for treating COVID-19.
Mustapha also raised the alarm that 51 per cent of the country’s COVID-19 cases are concentrated in nine local government areas across the country.
He said the affected nine local government areas were all densely populated, indicating that the crowded communities were at the risk of spreading the virus.
He, however, failed to name the nine local governments affected.
The SGF also frowned at reports that some state governors were lifting restrictions on the large congregation of people.
He warned that while President Muhammadu Buhari had encouraged state governments to adopt national guidelines that are suitable to their state, such adaptation should be informed by empirical evidence of progress made.
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A prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Doyin Okupe, was one of those who revealed the medications he took as a COVID-19 patient via social media.
The PDP chieftain said he took Hydroxychloroquine, 400mg daily for two days and then 400mg daily for another three days.
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