The COVID-19 Team Leader at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Dr. Yunusa Thairu, has given a rare insight into the treatment regimen for the COVID-19, explaining how a cocktail of an anti-retroviral drug, Aluvia, as well as Zinc and Vitamin C tablets are deployed.

Dr. Thairu disclosed this on Monday, while answering questions after the official opening of the 506-bed space COVID-19 Isolation and Treatment Centre in Idu, Abuja.

According to him, the regimen was adopted at a meeting with the World Health Organisation, WHO, and the United Nations, UN, alongside with some other unnamed stakeholders.

The meeting, according to him, resolved to use Chloroquine or Aluvia which is a combination of antiviral therapy and other management techniques that can be used to make COVID-19 patients be good.

His words: “Lagos State started its protocol by using Aluvia with Vitamin C, Zinc and that was why we visited Lagos and then we saw the patients’ response.

“We found out that for us blacks, that a combination of Aluvia with Chloroquine will reduce the viral load.

“That is the protocol that we started at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital right from the beginning.

“The treatment is for us to use Zinc, to allow the Aluvia enter into the cells to kill the virus and also unite it by Vitamin C.

“All of us know the role that Vitamin C plays in terms of allowing new cells to perform, so that those destroyed by the virus can grow.

“So, this is the treatment protocol. The treatment is Aluvia with Zinc, Chloroquine at the beginning which will help us actually recover and that is the success story of what we have,” he added on the COVID-19 treatment regimen