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MANILA, Philippines – The government expects to spend P89 million to host the Solidarity Trials led by the World Health Organization (WHO), but the cost of the possible COVID-19 vaccine will be borne by the global health agency, according to the Department. of Health (DOH).
The Undersecretary of Health, María Rosario Vergeire, said the amount is the country’s small contribution to help in the global effort to find an effective COVID-19 vaccine.
He noted that the Philippines will pay for operational expenses such as transportation, cold chain and laboratory supplies, such as protective gear to be used for the test that is likely to begin in December.
“This also includes paying for the staff who will perform the clinical trials and monitor the patients,” said Vergeire.
Earlier, Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said 12 hospitals were identified as test sites, with the Philippine General Hospital as the main executor of the project.
Vergeire stressed that it is important for the country to participate in the WHO trials and not just wait for the pharmaceutical companies to complete their research.
“We cannot simply rely on a few pharmaceutical companies to search for an effective COVID-19 vaccine, especially since most countries are already competing to secure their doses,” he said.
At least 34 vaccines are being studied for inclusion in WHO trials.
According to Dela Peña, participants in the trial can be chosen from the five to 10 barangays with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
As of Saturday, the DOH reported 2,674 new cases, bringing the national count to 319,330, of which 58,606 are active cases.
Metro Manila accounted for just over a third of new infections with 1,046, followed by Cavite (257), Rizal (165), Batangas (137) and Laguna (121).
The total number of COVID-19 survivors increased to 255,046 with the recovery of 459 more patients. However, the death toll rose to 5,678 when 62 patients succumbed to severe respiratory illness.
A total of 3,602,725 patients have been evaluated by the 138 accredited laboratories, as of Saturday noon.
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