Tanzanian president John Magufuli is sending a plane to Madagascar to fetch a herbal tonic which is supposedly a cure for Covid-19.

Madagascar, on Saturday, delivered a shipment of the drink, launched as Covid Organics, to Guinea-Bissau. Congo-Brazzaville’s president has also promised to import the drink. The Malagasy president, Andry Rajoelina, also tweeted that the special envoy to Equatorial Guinea picked up a shipment of the drink.

The drink, made from the artemisia plant, has been tested on fewer than 20 people over a period of three weeks. The plant is an ingredient in a malaria medication.

In response, the World Health Organisation’s head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that there were “no short-cuts” in fighting the coronavirus. The WHO added that international trials were under way to find an effective treatment.

Tanzania has 480 confirmed cases of coronavirus, which the Tanzanian president claims might be an exaggerated number. He also said he doubted the credibility of the country’s national laboratory. He said that he had had some animals and fruits tested at the laboratory and that a papaya, a quail and a goat tested positive for coronavirus. Magufuli added, “That means there is possibility for technical errors or these imported reagents have issues.”

Umm Muhammed Umar