Valenzuela City will soon be part of the study on Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) among symptomatic and asymptomatic positive coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) said.
In his weekly report, DoST Secretary Fortunato dela Pena said that recognizing the importance of widening its scope and expanding the research on using VCO as a potential supplement to prevent the worsening of conditions caused by COVID-19, the DoST identified Valenzuela City as another site where the study on VCO will be conducted in addition to the one held in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna.
The DoST-National Capital Region facilitated the coordination among the other involved agencies and provided funds amounting to more than P2 million. In addition, the city government unit (LGU) of Valenzuela also provided a counterpart fund for the implementation of the study.
Dela Pena said the study will start in the third week of this month.
The study has a target sample size of 120 individuals that are further divided into two groups – 60 control samples and 60 samples provided with intervention.
The inclusion criteria are those symptomatic and asymptomatic cases with positive RT-PCR tests.
Cooperating agencies involved in the research are the LGU Valenzuela, the DoST Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
Last month, DoST announced that VCO mixed with meals showed that it could reduce symptoms of probable and suspect cases of COVID-19.
The study showed that VCO mixed with meals could reduce COVID-19 symptoms, thus, possibly preventing the progression or severity of the disease.