It ended as a no-show for thousands of people who turned up at Krishnapatnam in Nellore district, as District Collector V.N. Chakradhar Babu made it clear that distribution of Ayurvedic cure for Covid would be allowed to resume only after competent medical authorities certify it.
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to rope in Central agencies to evaluate the Ayurvedic remedy for Covid that a local practitioner has claimed to have developed.
At a Covid review meeting on Friday, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the officials to get the remedy tested by Central government agencies, in order to decide on its safety and suitability for curing Covid patients.
The Chief Minister said that a team from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) should be sent to Krishnapatnam to conduct an in-depth study of the medicine developed by Ayurveda practitioner Anandiah.
Following an announcement by the YSRCP MLA from Sarvepalli, Kakani Govardhan Reddy, that the Ayurvedic cure for Covid would be distributed from Friday morning, thousands of Covid patients and non-positive persons flocked to Krishnapatnam.But while some medicines did get distributed initially, the police later stepped in and stopped the process.
The medication, which has been prepared by local Ayurveda practitioner Anandiah, has been attracting people from the surrounding areas over the last few days. However, its distribution was halted after the Lok Ayukta stepped in following reports that Covid norms were being violated.
Last-minute hope for many
Anandiah had become a local sensation after people in search of a cure for Covid began landing in droves at his doorsteps, after visuals of his treatment went viral on social media platforms.
Anandiah is giving the medicine free of cost to whoever approaches him. The medicine, in the form of balls or liquid drops, contains natural antioxidants and components such as pepper, ginger, neem, turmeric, and Tinospora codifolio, commonly known as giloy.
Apart from Covid positive people, even others who are waiting in vain for vaccines that are in short supply, are turning to Anandiah for Ayurvedic cure, even as there is no scientific evidence that Ayurveda can cure coronavirus.
Taking note of the development, the district administration had formed a committee consisting of officials and AYUSH doctors to evaluate the efficacy of the concoction. Nellore Collector K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu had said that the committee did not come across any adverse effects on people who took the medicine.
While some samples have been sent for testing to a laboratory in Hyderabad, the results are still awaited. The Chief Minister, who was apprised of the matter, discussed it in Friday's Covid review meeting and decided to get the medicine evaluated by Central medical authorities.
