Government Develops Supplements To Cure COVID-19 Patients

Minister of Research and Technology Bambang Brodjonegoro. (Photo by: Setkab)

JAKARTA - Minister of Research and Technology Bambang Brodjonegoro said that the government is developing several ways to help prevent and cure COVID-19 cases in Indonesia. This method is the manufacture of supplements, vaccines, drugs, to conventional plasma.

Currently, the Ministry of Research and Technology is starting to test the manufacture of supplements as a preventive measure. In this supplement, the Ministry of Research and Technology has conducted systematic studies and bioinformatics studies.

"Currently, clinical trials are being carried out for ingredients such as red ginger, guava, and then also virgin coconut oil," Bambang said at a press conference at Graha BNPB, East Jakarta, Sunday, April 7.

From these ingredients, Bambang hopes that the government can use it as a supplement. If the clinical trials of these ingredients are suitable, they can produce new supplements that are expected to grow the body's resistance to COVID-19.

Then, the government is also developing the manufacture of vaccines. However, the manufacture of this vaccine cannot be done in a short time. It took a long time to produce vaccines and be reproduced for public use.

Therefore, one of the alternatives that will be encouraged is cooperation between the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology and international institutions that also conduct research on vaccines.

"The vaccine that we hope to develop in Indonesia is a vaccine that can prevent a virus that will later develop in Indonesia. So, emphasizing the virus circulating in Indonesia is very important," he said.

Furthermore, the government is conducting clinical trials on several drugs recommended from abroad as a cure for COVOD-19 patients. These drugs include avigan, chloroquine, and tamiflu.

"Then, we are also developing quinine pills. We are currently testing quinine pills as an alternative medicine that might ease the burden on sufferers of COVID-19," said Bambang.

Furthermore, the research consortium team from the Ministry of Research and Technology is also in the process of sequencing the whole genome or chromosome sequences of DNA and RNA (whole genome sequencing). This method is a clinical trial of the therapeutic method via blood plasma.

"Currently, research is being carried out related to convalescent plasma, in which plasma from recovered patients is then tried to be given as a therapy for COVID-19 patients who are in severe condition," said Bambang.

This research has begun to be carried out at the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital. The results are starting to exist, but research is still needed on a larger scale. Therefore, the Ministry of Research and Technology will conduct even greater research. In the future, the research will involve many hospitals in various regions in Indonesia.

"Not only in Jakarta, to develop this plasma convalence, it can be in Malang, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Solo and other places. We hope that this plasma convalence can be an alternative to increase the cure rate of COVID-19 sufferers," he concluded.