Could the Cure for COVID-19 Emerge out of Africa?

I understand that the audacity of this question alone might be nerve wracking for some people. However, the race to find the cure for Covid-19 has been on since the beginning of the outbreak and Africa is not sitting on the fence waiting for a saviour but also taking action on the search for solutions. Scientists and medical companies around the globe have been mobilizing at record speed to develop a vaccine but the virus is spreading even faster.

For countries, governments, medical institutions, pharmaceutical companies, biotech organizations, scientists, doctors, non-doctors, news channels across the world, and even non-medical industries, there is suddenly only one priority on the agenda and that is COVID-19!
According to Informa Pharma Intelligence, “More than 140 experimental vaccine and drug treatments for the coronavirus are in development worldwide, most in early stages, including 11 already in clinical trials.”

Though many companies are working on a cure yet no company has offered a timeline for when its drug might be used more widely to treat Covid-19. Even though we live in a highly technologically advanced world that allows us to do certain things more quickly yet our only hope to protect ourselves from this novel Coronavirus lies in practicing social distancing, contact tracing, self-isolation, and other non-medical measures.

But Could the Cure for COVID-19 Emerge out of Africa? Could a simple traditional African medicine change the course of history in the combat against COVID-19? Could a non-scientific method be the solution to this unprecedented pandemic? These are alarming questions many don't want to ask, at least publicly.

Madagascar President, Andry Rajoelina believes so, and he is convinced that the island country is not only asking these questions but has the solution in stemming the pandemic. Last month, the Malagasy president officially launched Covid-Organics (CVO), an organic herbal tonic, that can prevent and cure patients suffering from the novel coronavirus.

President Rajoelina has attributed recovery of 105 COVID-19 patients in Madagascar to the herbal potion. "A marked improvement was observed in the health of the patients who received this remedy just 24 hours after they took the first dose. The cure was noted after seven days, even ten days. This remedy is natural and non-toxic," he said.

President Andry Rajoelina

The medicinal plant is known as artemisia. The big question is could this potentially change the course of history? I say “could” because it has not yet been proven(accepted) by the powers that be as a possible cure for coronavirus. Every claim deserves a fair chance!

Covid Organics or CVO is produced from a medicinal plant by the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research (IMRA) created from the Artemisia plant. Malagasy Institute of Applied Research (IMRA) specialises in the study of medicinal plants.

A heated debate has erupted in regard to these claims but the Madagascar government strongly believes Artemisia annua may be a valuable alternative treatment for COVID-19 both in preventive and curative approaches.

Madagascar has the world’s largest supply of artemisia and has the capacity to grow and produce artemisia. An executive from Bionexx said “each year Madagascar produces 25 tonnes of artemisinin, the plant’s medicinal active ingredient, i.e., a share of around 10% of the global market.”

According to Cornet-Vernet, many other African countries have already agreed in principle to perform clinical trials focused on artemisia, including Benin, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Rwanda.

Tanzania, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea are also joining the list of African countries importing Madagascar’s COVID-19 ‘cure’ even though the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not endorsed it.

Covid Organics delivery to Equatorial Guinea

Jean-Luc Galabert, one of the founders of the Rwandan research firm Inter-Culturel said, “Unlike other pharmaceutical drugs, the plant doesn’t require a full-fledged production chain and it also allows us to avoid issues like drug counterfeiting.”

As of 12th May 2020, Madagascar has 193 cases of confirmed cases, 105 recovered and 0 deaths. Other countries in Africa with zero deaths include Rwanda, Mozambique, Namibia, Uganda, etc.

Contrary to popular belief, Africa's Covid-19 mortality rate has been surprisingly low. Africa has been strategic and proactive in the fight against Covid-19. Different countries in Africa are coming up with innovative and effective strategies to protect the continent.

A great example is Senegal's $1 Covid-19 test kit that gives results in 10 minutes. This been a game-changer in the fight against the pandemic. Suspected patients drop blood or saliva on the device and wait for a line to appear, no need for highly equipped labs. It’s a simple test that can be done anywhere without any need for electricity. People can even do it themselves if they have access to the test kits.

Dr. Bruce Y. Lee, a professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, said. “People are looking into whether existing antivirals might work or whether new drugs could be developed to try to tackle the virus.”

“There’s a lot of uncertainty with vaccine development,” Lee said. “Naturally, you have to make sure the vaccine is safe. But you also have to make sure the vaccine will elicit enough of an immune response There’s no guarantee whatsoever that any of the vaccine candidates will work.”

And so, why can’t WHO and other powers that be take a deeper look into the Madagascar claims? If it were a European country or the Western or China which had discovered this remedy, would there be so little coverage, so much doubt and scorn?

When President Trump said hydroxychloroquine could be the cure for covid19, researchers looked into his claims and reported that “hydroxychloroquine had not been beneficial to participants in another clinical study. They said the medication didn’t harm the participants who took it, but the drug also didn’t lessen their need for ventilators nor did it reduce their risk of death.”

Which begs the question, where are researchers and scientists heading to Madagascar to study this herb? Why can't the World Health Organisation (WHO) at the very least carry out a clinical trial on the herb? Does the world really want a cure for Covid19 or does the world want a “particular cure” from “particular people”?

Could the world be turning a deaf ear to Madagascar simply because their solution to Covid-19 seems too easy? Could it because the solution is not scientific enough, not expensive enough, and not groundbreaking enough to be given attention? Are we so used to scientific solutions that we refuse to look elsewhere?

What if the herb can boost the immune system just enough to fight off the new Coronavirus? What if these claims hold some truth although there’s no scientific evidence yet to confirm the theory?
Is this remedy being looked down on because its from Africa or because it doesn't work?

What are your thoughts on this?

Disrupt Yourself Or Be Disrupted

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Nicky Verd is a Digital Strategy Consultant, Keynote Speaker and a leading thinker on driving innovation and digital transformation through personal disruption. She is a voice for those who yearn to upskill, reinvent and recreate themselves.

She is also a Brand Ambassador for Southern Africa Startup Awards and a Huffington Post Contributor. 

Visit her Website for more info about her work and services



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"You owe yourself everything you expect from others"

5 Critical Questions to Ask Yourself in Disruptive Times. #3 Will Make You Think Long and Hard.

Covid-19 is an unprecedented shock to economies and people around the world. Your concerns and fears are valid! These are crazy times of volatile change and eruptive disruption. There is technological disruption happening on one hand and Coronavirus(Covid-19 ) pandemic on the other. The call to disrupt yourself has never been more louder. Whether you are a business entity or an individual, it is critical to adapt and innovate to stay relevant in these turbulent economic climates. Reinventing one’s self is often a self-disruption process and I’ve written extensively about it in my book - Disrupt Yourself Or Be Disrupted.

One of the biggest mistakes businesses and people make is relying on what worked in the past, i.e they rely on their past success by doing the right thing for too long. It is easier to come up with new ideas but it’s even more difficult to let go of an old idea that worked well in the past. But the truth is what worked well in the past may not necessarily work well in future.

As economic change accelerates, so must the pace of your own personal strategic renewal. The aim of this article is to ask questions that will trigger a sense of urgency for you to reinvent yourself in these disruptive times. The questions are as follows:

1.      Why is it Important to Disrupt Yourself?

Most people think of disruption only in relation to business. Disruption has always been linked only to new products or new business models that come into the market and disrupt the marketplace or industry but it is best and even safe to think of yourself as your own business enterprise so that you can use disruptive thinking and actions to thrive and flourish even in disruptive times. It is important to disrupt yourself and step into uncharted waters – or at the very least, set the wheels in motion.
The future belongs to those who have the courage to disrupt their own past successes. It belongs to those who can avoid the nostalgia to step into the unfamiliar and break the borders of their own comfort zone. You cannot innovate within your comfort zone.
During an economic crisis, those with a disruptive mindset can still create new value and a new market for themselves that did not exist before. Lockdown (quarantine) might have started with you being known as an Accountant or Travel Agent, but you can emerge out of lockdown as a digital marketer, a web developer, a content creator, a YouTuber or e-commerce business retailer. Of course, the transition will not be easy but if you do not disrupt yourself, someone else will do it for you.
The internet is a school on its own. What skills have you always admired or desired to have? You might just be a Google search away from learning it. The more things you try, the more skills you’ll learn and the more valuable you’ll become now and post Covid-19.

2.      Does Having a Job Today Equal Security?

Nowadays, we all know that having a job does not necessarily equal security. As mentioned in the beginning of this article, there is technological disruption happening on one hand and Coronavirus(Covid-19 ) pandemic on the other. With technology, it is not just businesses that are getting disrupted but also many long-revered careers.
3D printing is threatening millions of manufacturing jobs across the globe. Robots, autonomous vehicles and drones are displacing tens of millions of workers around the world.
Founder and chairman of World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab compares Detroit in 1990 with Silicon Valley in 2014. He said, in 1990 the three biggest companies in Detroit had a market capitalisation of $36 billion, revenues of $250 billion and 1.2 million employees. But In 2014, the three biggest companies in Silicon Valley had a considerably higher market capitalisation amounting to $1.09 trillion, generated roughly the same revenues ($247 billion) but with only about 137,000 employees, that’s about 10 times fewer employees.
These statistics are scary and yet, a devastating crisis like the coronavirus pandemic was not even in the picture at the time.

• McKinsey warns of a coronavirus jobs bloodbath across Africa. “More than 150-million jobs out of the continent’s 450-million are at risk”
• BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Unemployment in Europe could double in the coming months, with up to 59 million jobs at risk from permanent cutbacks as well as reductions in pay and hours because of the coronavirus pandemic, estimates from consultancy McKinsey said.
• According to Morning Edition, “The number of people forced out of work in the USA due to coronavirus lockdown continues to soar to historic highs, bringing the total of jobless claims in just five weeks to more than 26 million people. That's more than all the jobs added in the past 10 years since the Great Recession.”

With these statistics, it is important that you do not sit back and relax simply because you currently have a job.

3.      Who are YOU if Your Job is Stripped Away?

Are you defined by your job title? Is your identity tied to your career? If you are your job then who are you if that job is stripped away? It is now more crucial than ever to define yourself outside your job. For many people, they have no life, no purpose and no reason to live if their job is taken away. And yet for others, they feel lost, as though their identity has been stripped away and all they are left with is a name tag – a lawyer, a teacher, a nurse, a doctor, a manager, a supervisor, etc.
In my book, Disrupt Yourself Or Be Disrupt, I asked this all-important question. Who are YOU? Many people dread this question. Some choose to live in the shadows while others choose to do what they think is right to be most accepted by their peers. But who are you? Seriously, this is one of life’s most important questions. What usually bubble up as answers are the labels that society and culture have piled on us, like: wife, mother, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, son, daughter, etc. But these are just labels similar to the titles we use when people ask about us and we start describing ourselves by what we do. E.g, I am an Engineer, a Manager, an Accountant, a Doctor, a Teacher, a Nurse, etc. But is that really who you are?
Your job is not your life. It's only a means to live your life. Your job is what you do, not who you are as a person. A job is not indicative of a person’s kindness, intelligence, bravery or character. One of the lessons Covid-19 is teaching us is that we need to start defining ourselves outside our earnings, outside our work, fancy buildings, nice cars, etc. Right now, none of that really matters.
Covid-19 is exposing everything and everyone. Aren’t you tired of living in the shadows? Do you have the courage to ask the person in the mirror: Who are YOU? Real freedom lies in knowing yourself beyond your job title!
Who are you? Usually, when faced with this question hundreds of thoughts run through the mind. ‘Should I say my name? Should I refer to what I do for a living? Or the family I come from?’ But the real answer to this question can only be unearthed through self-discovery. Self-discovery is the hunt to find the treasure buried deep inside you. It is the process of getting to know who you really are and not who you’ve been told you are and certainly not what your certificate or job title says you are. To truly answer this question, you need to look deep within yourself to discover things about you that make you unique, different, and special.
As American essayist and philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, once said ‘What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.’

4.      What if your Job or Business does not Survive Covid-19?

For those of you who have read my story, you know that I got laid off in 2016. To say being laid off was one of the worst experiences I have ever had would be an understatement. As a single Mom, I was shattered into a million pieces! Up to that point, my identity, my plans and my children’s future were all wrapped up in my job and it was stripped away in an instant., But in spite of this major upheaval, I learned to thrive. I created Nicky Verd! Something that's uniquely me.
I have come to know that it is not in spite of daunting circumstances that we grow but because of them. And so, I don’t always speak or write about the promises of what the corporate world, or the government or anyone else can do for you but about what YOU can do for yourself to effect the changes necessary to your specific circumstances. These are disruptive times, do not wait for your company to upskill you. Do not wait on government to bail you out. Be proactive! Do something outside the norm. Perhaps it’s time to learn a skill outside your academic qualification or consider a business outside your current industry.
As Deepak Chopra, author and public speaker, said, “All great changes are preceded by chaos.” As devastating as this pandemic is, Covid-19 might just be the kick in the teeth that we all needed to change the trajectory of some of our careers and businesses.
Covid-19 is forcing everyone to reinvent and think outside the box. Many are thinking outside the building and even outside their industry:

• Factories that used to make perfumes, T-shirts, and other non-medical things are now making hand sanitizers, face mask to fight coronavirus
• According to CNBC, “Zoom shares drop 6% as Facebook rolls out free video calls for up to 50 people”
• Automakers like Ford, GM, Tesla, Ferrari and even Rolls Royce are now adjusting their factories to producing ventilators and other hospital supplies to fight this pandemic. 

Its survival of the fittest! Innovate or die! And so, sticking only to what you are familiar with is a strategic blunder that can get you killed and kicked out of the game in these disruptive times.

5.      Are Counting your Bananas?

Do you have enough cash or access to cash to make it through Covid-19? The answer to this question is critical as no one can predict how long this crisis will last. Now is the time to get a clear view of your overheads and spending habits. As Hope Taitz puts it, “We are in a pandemic and survival is staying healthy, staying at home, staying afloat and understanding every expense down to the last banana.”
Many have lost their jobs. Many have their working hours reduced and salaries cut down. Many businesses are being forced to shut down leaving those who depend on the daily hustle with no source of income. Some are now relying on their savings and some have no savings at all. But whatever your situation is, it is still important to count your bananas. You can check how much you actually have in cash or cash equivalents and double down on every resource available to you.
Whether you are a business entity or just an individual, another critical question to ask yourself is what percentage of your income comes from online activities? Is e-commerce something you are considering? What investments are you making during these disruptive times? What costs are you cutting to stay afloat? Are you giving yourself enough ammunition to get through these trying times and beyond? Or are you simply going to go bananas?
Which of these questions resonate best with you?

Disrupt Yourself Or Be Disrupted!

Available on Amazon
Available @ Exclusive Books and Bargain Books SA

Nicky Verd is a Digital Strategy Consultant, Keynote Speaker and a leading thinker on driving innovation and digital transformation through personal disruption. She is a voice for those who yearn to upskill, reinvent and recreate themselves.

She is also a Brand Ambassador for Southern Africa Startup Awards and a Huffington Post Contributor. 

Visit her Website for more info about her work and services



Follow her on Social Media:

*Facebook
*Instagram 
*LinkedIn 

"You owe yourself everything you expect from others"