COVID-19 Trust Fund releases GH¢1.8m for research into coronavirus herbal medication

The COVID-19 National Trust Fund has advanced an amount of GH¢1.8 million to the Centre for Plant Medicine Research for the possible production of herbal medication for coronaviruses.

The fund says the use of unorthodox medicines has become important following the spike in COVID-19 cases.

Speaking at a signing ceremony at the Jubilee House, Chairperson of the Fund, Sophia Akuffo, said herbal remedies will be needed to fight COVID-19.

“The purpose of this financial support is to fund research into the development of herbal products against the SARS COVID-2 virus, the COVID-19 virus.”

“This funding is intended to enable the CPMI [Centre for Plant Medicine Research] to undertake full-scale research and development of antiviral and immunomodulatory herbal products,” she said.

The COVID-19 National Trust Fund has received many donations and contributions from businesses and individuals to complement the efforts of the government in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the fund is yet to publicly account for how much money it has raised since it was set up.