BACOLOD City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod passed a measure requesting the city Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) to purchase antiviral drugs to treat COVID-19 patients.
Councilor Simplicia Distrito, author of the resolution, said Remdesivir and Tucilizumab can be used to treat the city’s COVID-19 patients with mild, moderate and severe symptoms.
The procurement of these medicines would be in coordination with the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital.
Although these are not guaranteed cures for the disease, there are studies showing they can help speed up the recovery of COVID-19 patients, said Distrito.
“These medicines are widely used by many hospitals in different countries particularly in the United States. They make recovery of patients faster and better,” she explained.
The procurement should be done as soon as possible considering that airplane flights at this point are not regular. Transporting these drugs will take some time, the councilor added.
“No COVID-19 patient deserves to die due to the scarcity of these medicines,” Distrito pointed out.
Food and Drug Administration director general Rolando Enrique Domingo recently said there is “positive feedback” on remdesivir, based on the initial results of a World Health Organization-led Solidarity Trial.
The medication reportedly reduced the length of illness from 15 to 11 days, Distrito said, citing the results of the trial where experts attempt to find an effective treatment for the disease./PN
