The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of our member and do not reflect IAPO's own position on COVID-19 treatment. For further information on the topic, please read WHO's opinion:

• “Solidarity” clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments
• Q&A: Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19

LiveWell Initiative (LWI), an award-winning non-profit Public Health NGO in Nigeria, responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by developing several interventions namely the dispatch of a Response Team to the COVID-19 Frontline, Design of Treatment Protocols, and Deployment of Telehealth Services. 

LWI set up a 60-man team of healthcare professionals from different field of expertise to work as frontline officers with government and stakeholders central to tackling the COVID-19 diseases.

The organization designed Study Protocols 1 (Smart), 2 (Generic) and 3 (Community Health Workers and Low-income settings), for COVID-19 response in Africa using Chloroquine/Hdroxychloroquine with Azithromycin in appropriate doses for Pre- and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis in COVID-19, and Quinine for treatment in severe COVID-19. The LWI Study Protocols underwent hypothesis testing among physicians, researchers, pharmacists and clinicians with preliminary data showing great success, and published as follows:

1. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, PrEP (healthcare workers, recent travelers, etc)
2. Post-Exposure Prophylaxis, PEP (frontline healthcare workers and chronic disease sufferers)
3. Ambulatory Care (Out Patients)
4. In-Patients Care
5. Critical care (ICU Patients)
6. Post-Discharge Intermittent Prophylactic Therapy, IPT

The preliminary study revealed no symptoms of COVID-19 till date, more than 8 weeks post prophylaxis. All hospitalized patients also tested negative twice after having undergone the two confirmatory laboratory testing and were discharged home without any post-COVID complications.

This initiative is realistic, scalable, affordable, effective and reliable for al economies.

Amidst LWI interventions, the organization has started using Telehealth services as a means to meet the health needs of Nigerians in the corporate organizations touching areas like Nutrition, Dental Health, Emotional Health and other Non-COVID health needs, with the use of expertise in this various fields of medicine, pharmacy, nursing, nutrition, mental health, etc.

For scale, the organization aims to reach out to poor communities through this service, but has been financially constrained, and seeks granting to expand the Telehealth Services nationwide soon.

It is hoped that the Federal and State Governments in partnership with the organized private sector, will support the NGOs to enable us do more, as the programmes above listed are al at self cost.

LWI looks forward to partnering with organizations to promote the clinical trials of the Study Protocols and TeleHealth services for poor communities as we join hands towards eliminating the pandemic.

Published on 13 July 2020.