BY MINKA TIANGCO
Citing its effectiveness to treat coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno has ordered the purchase of additional vials of remdesivir.
In a meeting with city government officials on Wednesday, several city health officials vouched for remdesivir’s effectivity as more patients who took the drug reportedly recovered from COVID-19.
Earlier, the city government acquired 2,000 remdesivir vials that was used to treat around 200 symptomatic COVID-19 patients.
Studies showed that the drug reduced the length of illness from 15 to 11 days.
Moreno said they will also purchase more medical equipment to beef up the city’s medical sector amid its fight against the pandemic.
He also said that they will implement additional measures at the city government’s six district hospitals to ensure the safety of frontline healthcare workers.
Data from the city government showed that as of August 31, Manila has a total of 8,110 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Of this number, 874 are active cases, 6,911 have recovered, and 325 have died. (Minka Tiangco)
