MANILA – The Philippines will accept an offer for a pending Russian coronavirus vaccine once an offer is available, said President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, shortly after discussing a similar deal with China.
The Filipino leader offered himself as a test subject for the Russian-made vaccine.
“I will volunteer to take it in public,” Duterte said. “I’ll be the first to experiment.”
Russia plans to approve a coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday. But because the candidate has not completed any clinical trials, critics from Western nations question the safety of the product.
However, Duterte on Monday expressed gratitude that Moscow is ready to share its offer with the Philippines.
“I am very happy because Russia is our friend,” he said. “They said they would give the vaccine.” Duterte thanks Russian President Vladimir Putin by name.
Igor Khovaev, Russia’s ambassador to the Philippines, told reporters on Friday that Moscow had developed a “safe and effective” vaccine ready to deliver. The Southeast Asian country is also a candidate to be a production site for the vaccine, Khovaev said.
For approval, mass production is set to begin in early September, with free injections available to health workers and other risk groups at the end of October.
Duterte expressed the hope that Russia would provide the vaccine free of charge, unlike the US, which would expect compensation. But Moscow has stopped saying that the offer would be free.
The Philippines reported 136,638 COVID-19 infections, including a daily record 6,958 new cases Monday. The country has reintroduced severe restrictions on travel and other activities in Manila and elsewhere.
China represents the second leap of Duterte’s fax diplomacy. During his address to the nation in late July, Duterte revealed that he had asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to leave the Philippines as one of the first recipients of a Chinese vaccine. Beijing has said it would give high demand to the request.
Although Duterte is sometimes known for making friendly overtures to China and Russia, scrubbing to defeat the virus seems to have added urgency to this approach.
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