KUWAIT CITY - Witnessing a spike in COVID-19 cases as the pandemic continues to rage globally, Kuwait has enforced several measures to contain the spread of the virus.

In this context, Fahd Ghazi al-Mutairi, chairman of Kuwaiti company Sour Al-Sain representing the Chinese drug producer Yiling Pharmaceutical on the Kuwaiti market, reveals that the traditional Chinese medicine Lianhua Qingwen is a good drug to treat coronavirus symptoms.

Lianhua Qingwen, a patented traditional Chinese medicine that is widely used in China to treat patients suffering from the coronavirus, has been certified by the Pharmaceutical and Herbal Medicine Registration and Control Administration of Kuwait for the treatment of symptoms caused by COVID-19, Mutairi says.

He says the licensed drug by the Kuwaiti side has proven its effectiveness in treating the coronavirus.

"The company has distributed the product to 20,000 outlets for sale, and it has been tried and used by 4,000 people in Kuwait, according to our statistics from November until January, where patients have praised its effectiveness in treating symptoms of coronavirus and the seasonal flu," he says.

Lianhua Qingwen can significantly improve the elimination rates of fever, fatigue and cough, and improve the clinical cure rate of COVID-19, he says, pointing out that it has been used in some foreign countries and the product is herbal and has no side effects.

Ghanim al-Hujailan, an infectious diseases consultant at a local hospital in Kuwait, praises the effectiveness of the Chinese medicine which he took personally.

"Research and studies have proven that the drug has a great effect in reducing the spread of the virus and relieving its symptoms, and I used it when I caught the common flu, and it was a significant relief of symptoms within 36 hours, as the seasonal flu and coronavirus share the same symptoms," he says.

He says the Chinese medical team, which visited the country at the beginning of the pandemic, confirmed the drug's competence in alleviating the symptoms associated with the coronavirus, and its efficiency in treating mild and moderate cases, while it was tested in many foreign countries that recorded a clear decrease in the number of infections.

Several Kuwaiti citizens have also talked about their experience after using the Chinese medicine.

"The symptoms began to ease in effect from the second day, as breathing improved and the temperature decreased significantly. On the third day, there was nothing left but a mild cough," Fouad Dashti, a Kuwaiti citizen who was infected with the coronavirus, says.

Another citizen Fahd al-Ayoubi says Lianhua Qingwen is not only good for COVID-19 patients, but also for regular flu.

He says he took two pills per day after each meal to prevent catching the coronavirus, adding that he felt a warmth on his chest, which helped open his respiratory tract.

Um Faisal was infected with COVID-19 last year, and she used the medicine to relieve symptoms. The capsules succeeded in relieving her symptoms and helping her regain senses, she says, adding that during the 10-day quarantine period, she did not have any symptoms left.

XINHUA