CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro seems to be counting on yet another “miracle” to save his citizens from COVID-19, promoting a secret solution with no published scientific evidence that he says will conquer the new coronavirus .
“Ten drops under the tongue every four hours and the miracle is done,” said Maduro in a television appearance on Sunday. “It is a powerful, very powerful antiviral that neutralizes the coronavirus.”
But his government has not released any evidence. He even kept the name of the “brilliant Venezuelan mind” behind it a secret, saying he needed to protect them. Scientists at home and abroad remained skeptical. The local National Academy of Medicine said it appeared to be derived from the common herb of thyme.
It is not the first time that the Venezuelan leader has promoted a cure. In October, he notified the Pan American Health Organization that Venezuelan scientists have discovered a molecule that nullifies the replication capacity of the new coronavirus. He hasn’t talked about that development since. He also promoted a special herbal tea that claims to be able to ward off viruses and other diseases.
Other leaders have also adopted solutions rejected by scientific studies. Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazilian Jair Bolsonaro both stubbornly touted an antimalarial drug, despite repeated studies deeming it ineffective and possibly dangerous.
The new coronavirus did not hit Venezuela as hard as other South American countries, such as Brazil, Ecuador and Peru, although many experts say this is likely because sanctions against the Maduro government have drastically limited travel there.
Maduro said the treatment, which he called carvativir, has been tested for nine months among Venezuelans suffering from the coronavirus. He said he plans to distribute it across the country and also to other nations.
Dr. David Boulware, professor of medicine and infectious disease physician at the University of Minnesota Medical School, noted the lack of scientific evidence.
“This is, as with other things, people trying to sell, you know, some magic beans as the solution to a complex problem,” Boulware told the Associated Press on Tuesday. “It would be great if it worked, but I would like to see the data.”
The Venezuelan National Academy of Medicine said that “it is prudent … to wait for more data on the carvativir tests in accordance with international protocols”.
Since October, Venezuela has participated in tests of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, a strong ally of the Maduro government. Venezuela signed a contract in December with Russia to buy the vaccine, but vaccines are not scheduled to begin until April.
Rosa Colina, 58, said authorities should do more to get Venezuelans vaccinated earlier. She said colleagues at a local health center and some neighbors died from COVID-19.
“I think we need the vaccine, not these droplets,” she said. “I don’t think that will have any effect.”