It is emerging that chloroquine has the efficacy to thwart the viral agent that causes the coronavirus disease.

A professor of Epidemiology at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Ho in the Volta Region, said he is gathering that the popular drug for the cure of malaria, Chloroquine, has been certified as having capabilities to cure coronavirus.

It is not confirmed, nonetheless, he added.

Professor Fred Binka made this known while sharing his thoughts on the preparedness of Ghana in case of an outbreak of the deadly disease, on The Key Points on TV3/3FM on Saturday, February 22.

The outbreak, which started in Chinese province of Hubei, has already claimed over 2,000 lives with over 72,000 persons infected.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is said to have summoned top virologists to find a cure to the epidemic within the shortest possible time.

“In another three weeks, there will be a number of tests,” Prof Binka said, but indicated that chloroquine has so far been mentioned as a cure.

Already, antiretroviral drugs for Ebola and HIV-AIDS are also being tested for the same function in the fight against the novel coronavirus.

Ghana has heightened surveillance in the face of the epidemic as about 300 Ghanaian students are said to be at the epicentre, Wuhan.

The former Vice-Chancellor of UHAS urged the government to take immediate steps to get Ghanaian students in China back home as the Chinese will give priority to their own in the peak of the outbreak.

He said the leaders should consider the students as their relations and go to their rescue.