Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna, Sokoto and Kano states, as well as the FCT, have signed up to participate in the WHO’s solidarity trial to help find an effective treatment for coronavirus.
The solidarity trial is an international clinical trial and part of the WHO’s efforts to develop an effective treatment regimen and vaccines to combat the pandemic.
Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, made this known during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 Monday.
He said: “The federal government is cooperating with WHO on the treatment regimen solidarity trial with the following states enrolled: Lagos, FCT, Ogun, Kaduna, Sokoto and Kano.”
He said as of Monday, Nigeria had ramped up testing by 1,127 to a total of 27,078 tests, which yielded 4,399 cases in 35 states, with a gender ratio of 70 to 30 per cent for men and women.
Ehanire said: “Kogi and Cross River states have not reported any cases, but we are optimistic that we can work with the states’ Health Ministries to validate this in due course, when we engage the state authorities.
“A team from the Ministry of Health, made up of experts from various specialities, including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), is on standby to proceed to Calabar as soon as travel arrangements can be made, taking with them, resource to support the health system.
“Senior management of the Federal Ministry of Health and clinical case managers in our hospitals, this morning participated in a multinational teleconference with Chinese medical and academic experts in Beijing, where much insight was gained into the treatment strategy of China and other matters of common interest were discussed. The learning from this intervention is invaluable in re-examining our methods.”
