Palace pins hope on blood plasma therapy vs COVID-19

Malacañang is keeping its hopes up that the governmentfunded study on convalescent blood plasma against COVID19 will yield positive results and become the Philippines' contribution in the global battle against the pandemic.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña announced the start of the government-funded study looking into the use of convalescent blood plasma as one of the modes of therapy for COVID-19.

"We hope this study will yield positive results and be our country's contribution to the global effort to develop COVID19 treatment," he said.

According to Roque, the use of convalescent plasma as adjunctive therapy for patients hospitalized for COVID-19 is being undertaken by the University of the PhilippinesPhilippine General Hospital with funding support from the DoST.

The study is banking on the use of convalescent plasma taken from the blood of patients who have recovered from the infection, and therefore contains neutralizing antibodies against the virus.

Last April, President Duterte called on COVID-19 survivors to donate their blood or plasma to treat those who are suffering from the dreaded disease and for UP-PGH's experimental treatment for patients with severe symptoms of the disease.

"Mag mabuting loob kayo. And I think kung ako, I should volunteer. That is the way of thanking God that you have survived," he said.

"Magpakuha kayo kasi ‘yun ang dugo ninyo – ‘yung plasma ninyo ‘yun ang i-inject doon sa mga tinamaan. So ‘yung katawan mo makukuha niya ‘yon – ‘yung dugo na kapatid mo na Pilipino, makukuha niya ‘yan," he added.