THE Philippines started with the Avigan clinical trials yesterday on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients confined in four hospitals.
Avigan (favipiravir) is an anti-viral drug that is used to treat influenza in Japan. It is now under study as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
The clinical trials are being conducted at the Philippine General Hospital and Sta. Ana Hospital in Manila, the Jose N Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in Caloocan City, and the Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City.
“We started with the four but we will, of course, expand to other hospitals for us to be able to reach the 100 patients,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
She also said trials will run for at least nine months.
Meanwhile, the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) unveiled the six-story Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Disease (CERID) that will handle severe and critical cases of COVID-19 in Metro Manila.
Dr. Alfonso Nuñez, chief of the EAMC Medical Center, said the CERID will have its own emergency room that can accommodate up to 40 patients; its own operating room and a labor and delivery room for COVID-19 patients who need to be treated for other medical conditions; two intensive care units (ICU) that can accommodate up to 30 critical patients, equipped with 8-10 hemodialysis units; and ward type and isolation rooms to ensure minimum health standards to prevent further spread of the infection.
He said the new building will also have an infirmary which will serve healthcare workers who will be infected.
Nuñez said the EAMC will hire personnel for the CERID, including 77 medical specialists, 279 medical officers, 177 nurses and nursing aides, 468 paramedical personnel, and other support services.
In the meantime, current EAMC personnel will serve part of the new center to augment the needs of the community.
