SIX potential vaccines against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are being studied by various pharmaceutical firms but it would take at least a year to 18 months to come up with a vaccine, an official of the World Health Organization said on Monday.
Dr. Socorro Escalante, acting WHO representative to the Philippines, made the statement amid the continued spread on social media of claims of individuals and institutions that they have found a cure for COVID-19.
She told a press briefing of the Department of Health: “We have six candidate vaccines being studied by scientists and institutions around the world. And the earliest time it may come out as safe and effective for the people, and be registered is about 1 year to 1 1/2 years.”
The disease, which first emerged in China late last year, has spread to 213 countries and territories, infected at least 2.8 million persons, and killed some 193,000 individuals, and to the WHO.
In the Philippines, the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 7,777 on Monday or an addition of 198 cases. The DOH also reported 10 new fatalities, or a total of 511 deaths, while 70 more patients have recovered, or a total of 932 persons.
The Philippines ranks fifth among countries in the Western Pacific Region with COVID-19 cases after China, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, according to the WHO.
Last Friday, global leaders joined the WHO to launch an initiative to accelerate work on drugs, tests and vaccines against COVID-19 and to share them around the world.
At least 100 potential COVID-19 vaccines are being developed, including six already in clinical trials, according to the GAVI vaccine alliance, a public-private partnership that leads immunization campaigns in poor countries.
Escalante said research and development of a vaccine takes at least six months, after which the candidate vaccine will have to be tested in laboratories, through animal testing. A successful test on animals will be followed by clinical trials which Escalante said has three phases. The vaccine will then have to pass the assessment of regulatory agencies of countries, such as the Food and Drug Administration in the case of the Philippines.
“And even while they are already being used by the public, they will still have to be monitored and observed,” Escalante said.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the long process laid down by the WHO proves it is not easy to develop vaccines.
“Vaccines are not just injected to people. It takes a long and tedious process before one can say that it’s safe and effective for our people,” she said.
“We must be extra vigilant against those making claims of having discovered the cure versus COVID-19. Data, evidence, and science should be the basis before we believe such claims,” Vergeire added.
Escalante asked the DOH to prepare for the process of registering vaccines.
“We should take advantage of these vaccines still in the pipeline. The key is to prepare the regulatory process. In the Philippines, it is the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Vaccine development really takes time. But we want to speed up the process once they arrive,” she said.
She said it would be a good time to prepare the immunization strategy. “Maybe, we can prioritize the more susceptible population, such as health workers, and those with comorbidities,” she said.
PLASMA THERAPY
Vergeire late Sunday said aside from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), the St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) and the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) are trying out the convalescent plasma therapy that makes use of the blood plasma of COVID-19 “survivors.”
“The St. Luke’s Medical Center is also using convalescent plasma therapy as an additional intervention for severe or critically ill COVID-19 patients,” she said.
“The Lung Center of the Philippines is also calling on recovered COVID-19 patients to participate and share their plasma for the program,” she added.
Vergeire said the treatment has been showing potential in treating COVID-19 cases, according to SLMC and LCP.
“They are seeing continuous improvement in the conditions of the patients, who underwent convalescent plasma therapy,” she said.
Convalescent plasma therapy is a century-old technique that involves the transfusion of plasma, the liquid component of blood, from a recovered patient to a sick patient. The treatment has been tried and tested on different illnesses, most recently for diseases such as Ebola, SARS, MERS-CoV, and swine flu.
PINOYS ABROAD
The Department of Foreign Affairs said 52 more Filipinos abroad have been infected with COVID-19 while another has died.
“Based on the updated figures today, the DFA confirms 52 new COVID-19
cases, 49 new recoveries and one new death among Filipino nationals in
the Europe and Middle East regions,” the DFA said.
The 52 new cases brought to 1,395 the total number of Filipinos in 44
countries infected with the virus. Of the total, 829 are still undergoing treatment while 380 have recovered.
With the one new death, the total number of Filipinos abroad who
perished due to COVID-19 climbed to 186.
The Americas is still the most deadly place for Filipinos infected with COVID-19 with 106 deaths followed by Europe with 63 while the Middle East and Africa have 15 and Asia and the Pacific region with two.
Europe has the most cases among Filipinos abroad at 441 with 282 still recuperating while 96 have recovered. Americas came in next with 328 cases with 75 recoveries. Asia and the Pacific has 327 cases with 127 still recuperating while 198 have recovered.
There were 299 cases among Filipinos in the Middle East and African regions with 273 still confined in various hospitals.
SAUDI ARABIA
Five Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia have died from respiratory complications due to COVID-19 while 119 more have been infected but are receiving treatment, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Adnan Alonto said.
Interviewed by phone over the “Laging Handa” briefing, Alonto said the number of persons who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Middle East country has risen sharply as health authorities have stepped up testing operations.
“There are already 17,522 cases including 139 deaths and 2,357 recoveries. The number surged after they started mass testing, especially in densely populated areas,” Alonto said.
He assured Filipino families with relatives working in Saudi Arabia that the kingdom’s leaders will shoulder all costs of treatment whether in public or private hospitals for all cases related to COVID-19.
There are 865,000 Filipinos living and working in various jobs inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to Alonto.
The ambassador said the biggest challenge is attending to the welfare of displaced Filipinos who lost their jobs due to the no-work, no-pay system with their employers.
“We are regularly monitoring their condition. We are trying to ensure that they get enough food assistance and the compliance of their employers in the provision of food and appropriate accommodation,” he explained.
He appealed to stranded Filipinos, those who have terminated employment contracts and those who have been granted exit visa to coordinate with the embassy so they can be assisted on getting a flight home.
“We understand that it will be difficult but we can at least see that they get home to their families. We are closely watching this … making sure that there are available flights. We beg for understanding since we only have less than 200 staff serving the 865,000 Filipinos here,” he said. — With Ashzel Hachero and Peter Tabingo
