GOOD news on the coronavirus front from Indonesia, where the country's Minister for Agriculture is claiming a eucalyptus-based "antivirus necklace" can help prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
Minister, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, says the innovation was created by the country's Health Research and Development Agency after testing of 700 eucalyptus species found "one kind could kill the coronavirus".
Syahrul, the former governor of South Sulawesi, said wearing the necklace could "kill" 42% of COVID-19 if worn for 15 min.
"We have tried it. If we use it for 30 minutes it can kill 80%.
"We have also produced a roll-on - if we ever get cut by a knife the wounds can be healed by applying the product," he added.
A rival politician, Mardani Ali Sera, said he was concerned about the country's reputation.
"If clinical trials and public trials by experts have not been carried out and there are unilateral claims,I am afraid we will become a laughing stock to the world's public," he said.
However, if it was scientifically tested and proven effective it could become a major export for Indonesia, Mardani said.
Other local experts are also somewhat skeptical, with Herawati Sudoyo of Jakarta's Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology telling the Jakarta Post: "We know that the world has not yet found a cure for the disease...I think it would be wise for us not to spread further claims to a panicked society".
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