Dr. Omongole David Omongole, a pharmacist and Pastor has strongly advised against the rush to buy chloroquine drugs to treat coronavirus.
He explained on Tuesday that chloroquine is a “trial drug with no evidence” that it actually cures COVID-19.
“Putting your hope in it could make you ignore the real vital things you should do. Information on it is still very scanty. The medical world depends on data to make pronouncements,” Dr. Omongole said in an update.
“Even if it cures COVID-19 and you took it home, you wouldn’t know how to use it to treat yourself. That is why it is a prescription only drug. You could instead endanger yourself. It has many severe side effects,” he added.
Dr. Omongole urged health care providers not to prescribe chloroquine to patients who aren’t hospitalized, adding that this will dramatically lead to inevitable price hikes in the drug.
CNN reported today that a Phoenix-area man died and his wife was left in critical care after the two took chloroquine phosphate in an apparent attempt to self-medicate for the novel coronavirus.
A similar case was confirmed in Nigeria where Health officials issued a warming after three people overdosed on the drug.
US President Donald Trump purported at a White House briefing last week that the Food and Drug Administration had approved the “very powerful” drug chloroquine to treat coronavirus.
Dr. Michel Yao, Africa emergency response program manager for the World Health Organization, told CNN there are 20 drugs and the same number of vaccines under clinical trial, and it is too early to make recommendations about the efficacy of any for the treatment of the virus.
“The WHO’s position is clear. Any medication should be based on evidence. We don’t have yet any evidence from any of these trials that would allow WHO to do a formal recommendation. All these are in progress, so it is difficult for us to recommend at this stage that any of the medicine can be of use for the treatment of coronavirus,” Yao told CNN.
“It is too early to rush to the decision that chloroquine … at least for WHO to recommend it for the treatment of coronavirus,” he added.
What Dr. Omongole urges Ugandans to do the following in efforts aimed at preventing the virus.
- Wash your hands regularly. If you cannot afford those expensive sanitizers, smile and buy a bar of ordinary soap for your house. You will actually be better off!
- Have a hot cup of tea thrice a day with honey in it. Add one lemon to your tea. If you can handle, also add ginger to it. This is in addition to your regular meals. It is good for your immunity and creates an environment unfavorable for most respiratory viral infections.
- Walk around your house for 30 minutes at 10:00am and at 4:00pm. You are targeting sunlight. Again good for your immunity.
The preacher urges Christians to continue study the Word of God, speak in tongues, and “take church home.”
Other tips from the World Health Organisation (W.H.O) include;
- Do Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds, with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or flexed elbow when you cough or sneeze.
- Avoid close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with people who are unwell
- Stay home and self-isolate from others in the household if you feel unwell.
- Don’t Touch your eyes, nose, or mouth if your hands are not clean.
