The
Philippines might just beat the other countries in finding the cure for the novel
coronavirus 2019 disease or COVID-19 as a home grown solution will be close to
having an approval for its clinical trials.
The
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is just awaiting the final go
signal from the ethics board within the week to conduct virgin coconut oil (VCO)’s
clinical trials on COVID-19 patients at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
"Sa PGH po, inaasahan namin na bago mag Lunes, magkakaroon na ng approval ng ethics board; pero ready na po sila du'n sa gagawing [clinical] trials," DOST Secretary Fortunato
 |
| (photo credit to owner) |
[Translation:
As for PGH, we are hoping to get the approval of the ethics committee before
Monday of next week; but the health workers there are already equipped for the
clinical trials.]
The
DOST is also in preparation for its first set of trials at the Santa Rosa Community
Hospital in Laguna. Medical staffs on the site has completed their training for
the said trials.
"Aabot po ng 28 days [bago
makapagsimula], kasi nung Martes lang po natapos 'yung training ng mga
personnel sa hospital — kasama na po 'yung dietitians, medical technologists,"
Dela Peña said.
[Translation: It may take 28 days
before we begin, as we have just finished the training of the hospital
personnel last Tuesday, including dietitians, medical technologists.]
"Ngayon po, ongoing ang enrollment
ng mga pasyente. Nais po naming makabuo ng 45 participating patients doon sa
Santa Rosa, at 45 din naman po na hindi bibigyan ng VCO, para ma-compare,"
he added.
[Translation: Enrollment for patients
is now ongoing there in Sta. Rosa. We are looking at testing 45 patients who
will take the virgin coconut oil, and another 45 who will not, to compare the
results.]
Dela Peña said the DOST said it is
working hand in hand with the local government and some departments, which
include its arm agency, the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), and
the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
The FNRI takes charge of the menu and
research work, while the PCA provides supplies of unbranded virgin coconut oil,
it said.
The PCA also helps fund the program,
according to the DOST.
"Nagpapasalamat [naman] kami sa
local government ng Sta. Rosa, sa pamamahala ni Mayor [Arlene] Arcillas, dahil
sila po ang nag-ooperate ng ospital," Dela Peña said.
[Translation: We thank the local
government of Sta. Rosa, under the leadership of Mayor Arlene Arcillas, because
they are the ones heading the operations in the hospital.]
The DOST also said that they have already sent some samples of the
derivatives of VCO to a testing facility abroad – which has a collection of the
SARS-COV-2, or the virus that causes COVID-19 — to further test its
effectiveness.
"Kailangang makita natin kung sa
clinical trials na 'yan ay malakas ang aksyon at mapapahina o mapapababa po ng
ating mga materyales na pinadala doon 'yung infectivity po ng virus nila,"
he said.
[Translation: We need to see whether
such materials have strong or weak effects on the infectivity of the virus.]
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