South Africa has joined the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) multi-country research trial to find effective treatment for COVID-19.

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland on March 19, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained that the trial will compare untested treatments throughout several countries.

Various countries are currently undertaking their own trials with different methodologies, thus creating too many points of difference. As a result, this WHO trial, coined the Solidarity trial, will make use of unified data.

“This large, international study is designed to generate the robust data we need to show which treatments are the most effective”, said  Ghebreyesus.

The trial will begin in June, and includes multiple countries across the world such as Argentina, Bahrain, Canada, France, Iran, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand.

To date, there have been 252 817 confirmed COVID-19 cases of which 153 351 are currently active worldwide. The death toll sits at 10 405, and 89 061 infected people have made recoveries.

In South Africa, the number of COVID-19 positive cases has increased to 202.

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