'Vaccine for treatment of coronavirus ready soon'

The assurance was given by the Chairman of the Imo State Taskforce on COVID-19, Prof. Maurice Iwu in Owerri on Wednesday.

The professor of Pharmacognosy from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), had presented a plant-based patented treatment for COVID-19 to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu which is now been tested in United States.

While briefing newsmen in Owerri shortly after Seplat Petroleum and Waltersmith Oil Ltd donated COVID-19 preventive material to the state government, Prof. Iwu disclosed that there is a positive sign that it would soon be ready.

"The work on the drug we are developing is still going on. We are encouraged by the result we are getting. We are getting very positive signs."

He disclosed further "luckily the drug is a safe one. It is drug already in use. We are repurposing it for this particular purpose. So when we finished the studying and testing we are doing, I think the drug will come up in line very very soon. "

Most importantly, he added "if the pandemic escalates, the NAFDAC will know what to do, like they did in USA to fast track the use of chloroquine.

"If we have a need NAFDAC will know what to do. Right now the product is in human use, what we are doing is to repurpose it for this particular event, " he stated.

He said that the state government is doing everything humanly possible to prevent the virus from getting hold in the state.

"We have a vertical integration with the Federal Government whereby our ministry of health is working assiduously with the National Centre for Disease Control. We have equipment centre that is ready and we have configured isolation centres.b"
According to him "there is no confirmed incident in the state, but that does not mean the fear is not there."