Here are updates on the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) treatment clinical trials in the Philippines in the CALABARZON region.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) reported the updates from DOST IVA Regional Director Dr. Alexander Madrigal and Emelita P. Bagsit, Supervising SRS, DOST-CALABARZON who is coordinating the VCO Clinical Trial in Sta. Rosa.
The DOST report states that the VCO trials in Sta. Rosa Community Hospital in Laguna involving individuals who are suspect and probable COVID-19 cases already registered 6 participants as of May 5, 2020, out of the target 90 individuals to be involved in the study.
The study subjects will be divided into 2 groups:
- 45 participants in Group 1 will receive VCO mixed with the food
- 45 participants in Group 2 will be served regular meals
The VCO study will last for 28 days.
From Day 1 to Day 3, the participants will intake VCO once during breakfast. And from Day 4 to Day 28, the maintaining dose will be twice during breakfast and lunch.
The Philippine Coconut Authority analyses and certifies the safety of VCO to ensure the quality of the oil to be used based on the Philippine National Standards for VCO.
The VCO to be used has meticulously undergone cold extraction process to avoid heating. As a result, the vitamins, minerals, and possibly some enzymes are well-preserved and will surely benefit the study subjects.
The process is unlike the ordinary cooking oil that already passed through multiple processes of bleaching, deodorizing, and heating which eliminates some of the vitamins and minerals the coconut oil contains.
“Previous researches have shown that VCO has high potency anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal qualities,” said PCA Administrator Benjamin Madrigal, Jr. in a PIA report.
Prior to the VCO trials in Laguna, the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) started its own clinical trials for COVID-19 positive patients that are in moderate and severe conditions.
Professor Fabian Antonio Dayrit of Ateneo de Manila University had earlier released his study on the VCO as a potential treatment for coronavirus disease. Dayrit, in collaboration with Duke University-National University of Singapore is testing coconut oil’s ability to help fight off and prevent infection of the COVID 19.
SEND WELL WISHES to DOST and its partner hospitals as they study the use of VCO as a treatment for coronavirus disease.
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