IATF starts distribution of virgin coco oil to hospitals

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has started distributing virgin coconut oil (VCO) to hospitals in the National Capital Region (NCR) to serve as an adjunctive treatment for mild cases of COVID-19.

VCO Philippines president and United Coconut Associations of the Philippines vice chairman engineer Marco Reyes said VCO Philippines has

coordinated with IATF vice chairman and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles for the donation of VCO that will be distributed by the IATF to Level 1 hospitals in the NCR, epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Reyes added that the VCO Philippines’ move hopefully will be the start of the national government’s strong push to promote VCO as a prophylaxis, if not an outright adjunctive cure, for mild COVID-19 cases.

He had earlier expressed the frustration of local VCO makers on the seeming silence of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Health (DOH) on the benefits of VCO in preventing and potentially curing COVID-19, as other dubious cures such as the use of Ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug for animals, as a prophylactic agent and for some even a cure for COVID-19 has become a health concern.

“VCO must always be a part of every supplementation strategy for COVID-19. First, because it is completely safe. Second, because it is effective, at the least and, as of now, for mild symptoms as per DOST trials,” Reyes said.

The DOST-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) had conducted a study which successfully showed that the mixture of VCO in meals of suspected and probable COVID-19 cases in Santa Rosa City, Laguna helped in their recovery.

The DOST-FNRI study, which entailed the provision of healthy meals mixed with VCO to 57 suspected and probable COVID-19 cases confined at the Santa Rosa Community Hospital and Santa Rosa COVID-19 Quarantine Facility, showed that all the participants recovered and tested negative for COVID-19 at the end of the 28-day clinical trials.

DOST-FNRI director Imelda Agdeppa, who led the VCO study, said of the 57 suspected and probable patient-participants that joined the study, a total of 37 tested positive for COVID-19. Of the 37 confirmed COVID-positive participants, Agdeppa said 19 were in the group given meals mixed with VCO and 18 in the control group that was given meals with no VCO.

Dr. Ed Lalusis, who invented the patented Growrich VCO capsules or VCO in capsule form approved by the Food and Drug Administration, said the popularity of Ivermectin even without concrete proof that it is safe and effective in treating COVID-19 raised the need for a safe and effective alternative.

For Lalusis, Ivermectin needs more years to study in terms of its use for humans.

“So why is the DOH still blind and deaf to try our very own VCO as supplement for COVID?” he lamented. “Let’s focus on something that has been tested effective rather than taking hapless action to an unsure outcome.”