Combating COVID-19: Vitamin D the vital cog-in-the-wheel − Prof. Wimalawansa
Posted on May 16th, 2020
By Saundarya Wellaboda Courtesy Ceylon Today
World-renowned Professor of Medicine and expert in Endocrinology, Vitamin D and human Nutrition, Professor Sunil Wimalawansa has offered his services to the highest authorities in Sri Lanka to help the country to successfully fight the COVID-19 pandemic mainly with reference to disease prevention.
In a previous article, Professor Wimalawansa explained COVID-19 prevention and clinical trial protocol which he has designed with assistance from a group of senior foreign scientists. He noted that each of these individuals have more than 30 years experience in clinical and research work.
Professor Wimalawansa said they all are volunteering their time, funds and expertise on a full time basis to work as an independent research group to contribute their expertise and resources to help a number of countries to succeed in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clinical trial protocol
When contacted Professor Wimalawansa clarified details regarding new developments concerning this project.
The COVID-19 prevention clinical trial protocol to be implemented in Sri Lanka, is a system which has been designed with specific consideration to the current situation of Sri Lanka and it was designed in order to provide authorities with a proper method that would help control the fast spread of the virus.
According to Professor Wimalawansa, he along with his colleagues have also developed a number of clinical trial protocol systems for countries such as USA, China, India and Turkey but he added that each of these protocol systems were made after taking into consideration the COVID-19 situations in each of these countries.
He emphasised that most of these systems are designed to prevent complications and ensure early recovery and added that some of the protocols are concentrated on countries suffering severely from COVID-19 and are made in order to prevent deaths.
He opined that the prevention system made for Sri Lanka is the first study to be implemented for disease prevention in regards to COVID-19 in the world.
According to Professor Wimalawansa the prevention protocol system that has been recommended for Sri Lanka can help prevent the virus from uncontrollably spreading within quarantine centres and he further explained that in partnership with the group of senior scientists, he was able to create a capsule containing a high-potent nutrient capable of boosting the Vitamin D levels within the human body, therefore strengthening the immune system to maximum level.
Professor Wimalawansa said that the capsules are a custom-synthesised mega-dose, made in a reputed laboratory named, Bioinnovations-Pharmacal in Arkansas, USA. He added that since these are custom-made it is currently not available for purchase. He alleged that it is company assured that ingredients in the capsule have been tested and proven to be pure and added that it is suitable for consumption.
“For those who have just contracted the virus, when you have this mega-dose nutrient in the body, he or she will experience milder symptoms. Those with sufficient micro-nutrients, including vitamin D and zinc, will have either no symptomatic disease or have minor symptoms.” He added.
Professor Wimalawansa further said that maintaining a healthy level of Vitamin D will strengthen one’s immunity and added that the response of the immune system is positively related to the vitamin D concentration in the blood.
He emphasised that many recent studies report that, individuals who require Intensive Care and those who have passed away, had their serum vitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations at less than 5 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL). He clarified that to achieve an immune system capable of winning against COVID-19, one needs to maintain serum vitamin D [25(OH)D’ concentration in excess of 40ng/mL (most certainly, above 30 ng/mL).
Professor Wimalawansa also said recent research reports from multiple countries indicate that for every person tested positive of COVID-19, there are between 10-40 more individuals who are infected, but they do not know it. He said that they are called symptomatic carriers and added that they indeed can spread the disease to others in the community. Such individuals when admitted to a quarantine centre, while may not yet have developed PCR positivity, could infect others, he added.
Professor Wimalawansa further claimed that general databases from multiple countries reported that while less than 5% of those who are admitted to quarantine centres are infected, when they leave, up to 20% can be infected while being there and added that this is what the team of volunteers proposed to prevent by implementing the protocol system.
He further clarified that however, this process can be later applied to other areas to help prevent the virus from uncontrollably spreading not only in quarantine centres, but also in the Prison, Navy vessels, cruise-ships, and among frontline workers such as healthcare, emergency services and soldiers engaged in contact tracing.
Meanwhile, Professor Wimalawansa said during the first week of his return to the country he wrote to the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa offering his services added that after receiving his letter, President Rajapaksa notified him that the information will be entrusted to the Director General of Health Services for further attention.
Professor Wimalawansa further emphasised that since he did get a response from the Director General he wrote to the Defence Secretary through the Army Commander, where he explained information regarding the prevention protocol system and requested an immediate response. Professor Wimalawansa clarified that he took these initiatives about three to four weeks ago but had still not got formal approval and noted that this was despite the fact that all expenses will be borne by them.
Professor Wimalawansa noted that his team has already paid the costs for the synthesis of these mega-dose capsules, and airfreight to the BIA from the US and added that to facilitate the process, his team had already purchased laptop computers for each of the participating quarantine centres to enable easy data entering regarding the progress of participants.
Furthermore, Professor Wimalawansa noted that he and associates were contacted by governmental and non-governmental groups from Indonesia, the Philippines, and India requesting for their assistance in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and added that if the relevant authorities failed to provide formal approval and cooperate, they will direct all resources to the above-mentioned countries for their benefit.
May 17th, 2020 at 6:03 am
I was told use vitamin D which I do.I think me and my friends got a bit of this virus in 1957 where we spent over 3 weeks in the jungle in Kandy where there were over thousand bats above us.Our job was to chase the bats to the air at a given signal where the film Bridge on the River Kuawi was filmed.We had a treeible influaza for over 3 weeks and came out of it becauise we ate a massive amount of wild straw berries which we picked up at Hunas mountain where by biurgher friend and I went to catch a particular type if butterfly for the set in that film.I like to drift a bit here.While catching the butterflies with our net I got bitten by a Russals Wiper but we were ready for this where I sat down and called for my friends help,having had advice from one of my classmates father one Moraes in Kotte where he was well know for treating snake bites,My friend suck by blood and spat out and tied my hand to prevent bleeding and prevent the poison getting into my heart. He also burnt my bite marks with the cigarette lighter(we were not smokers but prepared for snake bites).I drank my own urine and cycle all the way from Panwila to Kandy(16 miles).
Since we had the horrible flue and survived had no cold since and I am nearing 80.It built my immune system and I am also very hyper active. My American friend who were in Kandy revealed this to their friends in a university in US and herd that they found a Seram to treat heart problems.
Coming back to Corvid like symptoms a doctor in Galgamuwas use to treat the patients with Malaria tablets.
Recent article which in the internet was well presented scientifically but for some reason it disappeared, perhaps due to a spinster reason.
I quickly cut and pasted bit of that long article but while doing so it disappeared.
Please try and consider a bit of that article.
It mentioned that those affected by Emphysema are known to exhibit copper deficiency that weaken the receptacles in the lungs also known as elastin. He wrote that Corvid seems to outstrip the repair mechanism of elastin that lead to people like smokers and people with asthma and type 2 are very venerable.
He thinks by increasing the copper in our system increase the production of elastin.
No wonder sprays with copper is used to decongest the lungs and nose says my chemist.
He also recommend Vitamin D and food that contained copper like liver,seafood,cashewa,sunflower seeds,wheat bran cerals,whole grain products,avocados and cocoa products.
I wonder what the writer think about this?
May 17th, 2020 at 6:11 am
I am sorry for any grammatical mistakes due to me not going through it, a bad habit I have being very busy.