Dr Potter told BVI News in a recent interview that to date, there is no specific treatment that has been proven to be effective against COVID-19.

He said that several treatment studies are being explored in many other countries but the BVI will not be pursuing any treatment plans unless approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) which provides the territory with guidance.

“I certainly know that none of those exotic treatments that people are trying all over the world, we haven’t had reason for any desperate measures like those,” Dr Potter stated.

“The World Health Organisation is creating a big set of studies to look at all of the things that people have tried across the globe, and so they haven’t endorsed any of these things as a treatment, and they are waiting on the results of these studies which will take several months to do,” he added.

Why treatments are not recommended

The Medical Chief Officer further explained why these experimental treatments are not recommended for usage.

He said at the advent of a new virus or disease, the pharmaceutical industry and the medical fraternity usually explore existing remedies or medications to see their effectiveness on a particular virus.

“In the case of this virus, there are several protocols that different people are trying, but all of that work is really experimental. Its kind of a last-ditch effort to see if something might work, and none of the so-called studies that have been published have been rarely validated by anybody else,” Dr Potter stated.

“The samples they have done and the reporting do not meet the standards that are required to say that it is a treatment for something,” he added.

Be aware of COVID-19 fake products

Dr Potter’s comments come amid warnings from Chief of Drugs and Pharmaceuticals in the Ministry of Health, Gracia Wheatley-Smith, who advised residents to be on the alert for falsified, counterfeit and substandard COVID-19 products.

These products are said to be sold on the internet and falsely claim that they can prevent, diagnose and treat COVID-19.

“Counterfeit tests may not have in any testing ingredient, may have a wrong testing ingredient and will, therefore, give a wrong result, which may lead to unnecessary stress, undue panic or a false sense of security,” Wheatley-Smith stated.

The BVI has, so far, seen a total of three COVID-19 recoveries from its total five confirmed cases. The recovery of those three patients were all attributed to their immune systems to fighting off the virus.

The BVI currently has only one active COVID-19 case and one death.