Traditional medicine effective in treating coronavirus, says Chinese official

February 17, 2020 7:32 pm

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Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is effective in curing patients diagnosed of COVID-19, according to a Chinese health official.

On Monday, Li Yu, an official with the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said traditional medication has been used to treat hundreds of coronavirus victims.

The official said symptoms have disappeared in 51 cases and improved in 268, with another 212 remaining in stable condition, since the use of the traditional medicine.

He said it was recommended to medical institutions nationwide on February 6 after data analysis on 214 cases.

“For example, a TCM decoction named “Qingfei Paidutang” has been used in treating 701 confirmed cases in 10 provinces, of which 130 have been cured and discharged,” he said.

“The data showed the decoction’s good clinical effect and treatment prospect on COVID-19.”

Yu also shared the analysis and statistics cases with detailed clinical records, as 94.6% of the 112 patients restored to normal body temperature, and 80.6% of 214 patients stopped coughing after using the medicine for six days.

Jiang Jian, another official of the administration, said TCM has been used in treating 60,107 confirmed cases in China.

He said over 3,100 medical personnel from over 630 TCM hospitals across the country have been sent to aid Hubei province in the fight against the epidemic.

The central government’s joint prevention and control mechanism on the situation called for stronger cooperation between TCM and western medicine in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Coronavirus has been confirmed in Singapore, UK, Spain, Vietnam, Germany, UAE, France, Japan, Thailand, Canada, Australia, Italy, Russia, the United States, among other countries.

On Friday, Egypt confirmed a case of the disease, marking the first confirmed instance of the virus in Africa.

Over 64,000 cases of the disease have been recorded worldwide, with about 1,400 deaths.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared the outbreak a global health emergency, appealing for $675 million to fund a three-month response plan.

The global health body had said the first vaccine for the deadly virus may be ready in 18 months.