The World Health Organization has clearly stated that there are at present no therapeutic agents shown to prevent or cure COVID-19. Officials in Madagascar, including the President, claim that an extract from Artemisia annua (sweet wormwood) an anti-malarial, is both a preventive and therapeutic for COVID-19. Publicity generated by the government elicited considerable interest especially in African nations, prompting the WHO to issue a statement on May 4th stating caution must be taken against misinformation, especially on social media, about the effectiveness of certain remedies. Many plants and substances are being proposed without the minimal requirements and evidence of quality, safety and efficacy. The use of untested products can put people in danger, given a full sense of security and distracting them from handwashing and physical distancing that are cardinal in COVID-19 prevention.
It appears that Andry Rajoelina the President of Madagascar is promoting the domestic product termed COVID-Organics as a therapy despite having no scientific evidence to substantiate the claim. There are obvious questions as to who might be profiting from what appears to be a scam promotion of a quack “cure”.
Dr. Shabir Madhi. Professor of Vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa noted "there is no evidence that COVID-Organics has cured anything, noting that noting that Madagascar has only confirmed 405 cases and it is impossible to assess efficacy on twenty patients". Madhi added "the majority of people who have this virus show no symptoms; of those who develop symptoms 85 percent of them have mild illness. You can treat them with water, and it would have the same effect".
There are obviously many entrepreneurs in companies, some of them good people and evidentially well intentioned, who are promoting cures for COVID. Many claims are based on anecdotal reports or preliminary studies with defective designs and lacking statistical evaluation. Despite early claims for the benefits of hydroxychloroquine, when subjected to double-blind evaluation, the potentially toxic effects of the drug became evident without demonstrating any therapeutic advantage.
Until an effective and safe vaccine and proven therapeutic compounds become available, the world will have to endure basic preventive measures including social distancing, wearing face masks in public and avoiding crowds.
COVID-19 will not miraculously disappear, neither will an effective therapeutic compound be developed in the immediate future. Even if a limited number of the 100 vaccines under development are proven to be effective by the end of this year, deployment to achieve immunity in at least 60 percent of our population will extend into mid -2021.
The reality of COVID-19 is that the food industry must accept a realistic timeline and plan accordingly with regard to production capacity, inventories, personnel and distribution.