A health official on Wednesday said all available medicines for treating Covid-19 symptoms are under study as there is no proven cure yet for the disease.
“Actually, wala naman po talagang gamot na mayroon nang ebidensya para masabi natin (there is no medicine that has evidence to say) that we can treat Covid-19 with these drugs,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online media forum.
She said the available medicines now for treating Covid-19 “are all investigational”.
“So it will depend on the doctor kapag sila ay admitted sa hospital para dito sa mga mild at moderate (So it will depend on the doctor when they [mild and moderate] cases are admitted),” she added.
Vergeire was responding to a question about the recommended medicine for patients with mild to moderate symptoms.
She said mild cases staying at home are given supportive treatment.
“This means we try to support their immune system by giving vitamins and other supplements. We like for them to monitor their temperature, oxygen saturation kapag kailangan na po ng oxygen, nahihirapan na huminga, kailangan muna magpatingin sa doctor bago tayo magbigay ng oxygen o baka kelangan na ma-ospital (if oxygen is needed, there is breathing difficulty, [they] must consult a doctor before they’re given oxygen or hospitalization is needed),” Vergeire said.
While no food or drink is prohibited, individuals infected with Covid-19 are encouraged to eat fruits, vegetables, and other healthy food.
They are also advised to drink enough water because they are at risk of dehydration especially when they have fever.
As for the home care of Covid-19 patients, Vergeire said there is no required setup but it must be connected with telemedicine consultation providers to ensure the public is guided properly.
The Department of Health (DOH) has six existing platforms for telemedicine providing consultations for free.
“We want to expand this, we also want to link this to our local government triage systems and to the One Hospital Command Referral System so that we’ll see one whole system,” Vergeire said.
She added that they also need to be connected with primary care physicians who can visit those doing home care and have a financing mechanism, thus, the DOH is in discussion with the Philippine Health Insurance Company. (PNA)
