The Ugandan government announced that it has approved herbal medicines for Covid-19 treatment as the delta variant cases rise after the scandal of fake vaccines emerged.
The Ugandan government revealed this in a statement reported by Bloomberg on Thursday, stating that 5 acres of land have been given to Jena Herbals Ltd to immediately build a factory and ramp up production of its Covidex product, the Uganda Investment Authority said.
The government acknowledged that clinical trials have not been concluded, however, the herbal substance includes extracts of berberine and zanthoxylum gilletii plants used as supplements and treatments of viral ailments. Gulu University in Uganda is also expecting 3.7 billion shillings ($1 million) from the Ugandan government to support the development of a herbal remedy called Covilyce.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Monica Musenero said the Ugandan government is obtaining clinical data on the herbal procedure.
Patrick Ogwang, Covidex developer said the herbal remedy prevents virus growth and has anti-inflammatory effects, citing that Jena Herbal plans to triple production in months.
What you should know
Recall that Nairametrics reported yesterday that hundreds of people in Uganda were reportedly given fake covid vaccines by fraudsters as employers looked elsewhere to vaccinate their staff.
The Director of State House Health Monitoring Unit stated that some companies paid fees to have their employees vaccinated from their work premises, but the medical officials turned out to be fraudsters administering largely water, citing that two of the culprits have been arrested.