TWO candidate vaccines against COVID-19 that are showing promise are set to be tried in the Philippines, according to the head of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Expert Panel on Vaccine Clinical Trials.
In a televised DOH press briefing, Dr. Nina Gloriani said two candidate vaccines from China that are currently standing out are set to undergo clinical trial in the Philippines.
“Among the 8 candidate vaccines (standing out), the two from China are among those to be tested here in the Philippines,” said Gloriani. “We are just completing the regulatory requirements so we will be ready to start the clinical trials.”
Gloriani said the Philippines is set to participate in five vaccine clinical trials after it was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
“The IATF-EID has approved collaborations for vaccine trials from five vaccine developers,” said Gloriani.
The three are from China, namely, Chinese Academy of Science-Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health, SINOPHARM Wuhan Institute and Beijing Biologicals Institute, and SINOVAC Biotech Ltd.
The other two are from Taiwan, namely, Adimmune Corporation, and Academia Sinica.
The said clinical trials do not count the planned participation of the Philippines in the World Health Organization (WHO) Clinical Trials on Vaccines.
Meanwhile, 74 four more overseas Filipinos were added to the growing list of those infected with COVID-19 while 13 more succumbed to the virus.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said majority of the 74 new cases came from the Middle East where the total number of Filipinos with the virus now stands at 6,363.
The 13 new deaths also came from the Middle East, with the total deaths in the said region now at 324.
The DFA said the number of overseas Filipinos infected with the virus has reached 8,762 in 63 countries and 590 deaths.
The DFA said there are also 19 new recoveries in the Middle East, Europe and the Asia Pacific regions, bringing the total recoveries to 5,237.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte yesterday said she has tested positive for COVID-19.
In a Facebook post, Belmonte said she was found positive in her latest virus test, explaining she usually undergoes testing to determine if she has been infected with the virus since she often goes around the city to check on her citizens’ needs amid the pandemic.
Belmonte said she is in good condition and has not been feeling any symptoms. She lamented that she was infected with the virus despite strictly following health protocols.
“I hope this may serve as a reminder to everyone that COVID-19 is really an extraordinary illness that’s why we all need to be extra careful,” she said.
She said she has been strictly observing all quarantine protocols of the Department of Health, adding the city’s Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit has begun contact tracing of the people who made contact with her.
Belmonte said her office and common areas at the QC Hall will be temporarily closed for disinfection. She assured the city’s services will continue as she will still constantly monitor the situation. — With Ashzel Hachero and Raymond Africa