Tanzania warns against random use of medicines to cure COVID-19

Tanzanian health authorities on Sunday warned people against random use of different types of medicines in the hope that they can cure the COVID-19 virus.

Abel Makubi, the Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, said there was until now no known medicines that can cure the viral disease.

"There have been reports in various social media claiming that certain medicines can cure the COVID-19 virus. This has led to random use of the medicines by desperate people," Makubi said in a statement.

The random use of medicines for treating COVID-19 could result in developing resistance to fighting the diseases they were supposed to cure, said the chief medical officer.

If these medicines cured the virus they could have been used to cure COVID-19 patients, added the official, urging people who suspected to have contracted the disease to report to relevant authorities.

Makubi also urged the Pharmacy Council of Tanzania to control random sale of medicines in pharmacies across the country.