Amid the developing Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) vaccines by different countries, the Philippines may have 17 possible sources.
National Task Force Against COVID1-9 Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said nine of the 17 are under third phase of clinical trials and three will be conducting clinical trials in the country this coming December and January.
Secretary Francisco Duque III added that the health department through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to adopt Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to expedite vaccine approval processing.
“Sa bisa ng EUA, tayo ay makakagamit ng medisina, bakuna and other health technologies through the process of reliance and recognition (Through the EUA, we can use medicines, vaccines, and other health technologies though the process of reliance and recognition) …It will cut the processing time from six months to about 21 days,” Duque explained.
President Duterte during his Tuesday public address with members of the task force, including Galvez and Duque, emphasized anew the prioritization of “the poorest of the poor” in the COVID-19 vaccination drive.
“We will start with the frontliners, and then ‘yung mga (the) poor and vulnerable communities. And then also we will have the soldiers and also the servicemen, and also the essential workers,” Galvez responded. – Report from Mela Lesmoras
