For Algeria, no question of giving up chloroquine

Algerian health authorities do not intend to abandon chloroquine in coronavirus treatments, despite WHO’s decision to “temporarily” suspend clinical trials of the drug as a precautionary measure.

“We have treated thousands of cases of coronavirus with the drug with great success to date. And we have not noted any adverse reactions,” Dr. Mohamed Bekkat, a member of the Scientific Committee monitoring the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic in Algeria, told AFP.

For the past two months, the Algerian authorities have decided to treat several thousand people suffering from coronavirus with a treatment based on hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin.

Algeria’s coronavirus outbreak is one of the worst in Africa, with a total of 8,697 cases and 617 deaths officially recorded since 25 February.