No evidence that home-made remedies can ward off COVID-19

No evidence that home-made remedies can ward off COVID-19 – DCMO

Apr 18, 2020 News

Since the world has been hit with the novel Coronavirus pandemic, various home-made remedies and solutions with regards to prevention have surfaced. Hitting social media platforms and forming discussions among citizens.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Karen Boyle

Many of these remedies are being hailed as effective and are said to kill the virus and prevent the spread of the infection.
However, Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr. Karen Boyle, told Kaieteur News that the only proven prevention method is “Staying home, good hand washing hygiene, maintaining good nutrition levels, getting enough rest and building up your immunity.”
She said that “I have been hearing and reading about people saying that garlic and lemon grass are good to fight the Coronavirus. I even saw a video about onions.”
Noting that these are everyday food items, the DCMO assured that there is no harm in using them. However, citizens must not be under the misconception that these remedies will protect them from the virus since there has not been any scientific evidence to back up these claims.
The DCMO further stated that “the only advice I will give is for individuals to follow the public health guidelines and practice the measures the Ministry of Public Health has put in place.”
“I would also like to caution the public about thinking that these remedies will protect them because this may not be the case and even if they want to use their herbs and home-made remedies, they should adhere to all protocols put in place.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), on average it takes five to six days from when someone is infected with the virus for symptoms to show, however it can take up to 14 days.
Most individuals infected will develop mild to moderate symptoms such as fever, tiredness and a dry cough. However, you may also experience aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat and diarrhoea.
WHO also confirms that to date, there are no specific vaccines or medicines for COVID-19 and treatments are under investigation, and will be tested through clinical trials. (Shivanie Rampersaud)