Despite its much touted herbal medicine against the virus, Madagascar on Sunday recorded its first death to COVID-19, according to AFP.
The death of the COVID-19 patient is the first to be reported since the country announced its first case of the infection about two months ago.

According to the country’s national COVID-19 task force spokesman, Hanta Danielle, the deceased was a 57-year-old medical worker, who suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure.

He was said to have died on Saturday night

The Indian ocean island has reported 304 cases of the virus so far, according to AFP.

The tiny Island country grabbed headlines when the President, Andry Rajoelina,  launched a herbal solution which he touted as  cure for Coronavirus christened, “COVID Organics.”

Samples of the herbal drug made from  artemisia and other indigenous herbs were presented to President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Saturday.

While many African countries had ordered for loads of the herbal mixture or have expressed intentions to do so, the World Health Organisation has warned that its efficiency against the novel Coronavirus has not been confirmed.

President Buhari also said the herbal tonic will be subjected to test by the appropriate agencies in Nigeria before he will allow it to be used to treat COVID-19 patients in the country.

But President Rajoelina insisted that the drug is efficacious in the treatment of COVID-19 in an interview over the weekend.

“COVID-Organics is a preventive and curative remedy against COVID-19. It works really well and it is as a result of the research carried out by the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research which has the status of an original research centre,” Rajoelina said.