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A VACCINE for the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) will be ready, at best, in April, according to the country’s secretary of science and technology.
“The quickest we can get started (with testing) is December, the last quarter. The vaccine trials estimated by the experts are three to six months, ”said the secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), Fortunato T. de la Peña, in a briefing on Friday.
“The best possible scenario,” he said, is that the vaccines will be ready by April.
De la Peña was referring to the Philippines’ participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) Solidarity Trial, whose guidelines are expected to be released next month.
DoST has identified 13 medical facilities across the country that will participate.
Meanwhile, the country has also signed bilateral ties with 17 developers of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“In each of these, the DoST has ongoing science and technology agreements. So we based it on the agreement to reach out to these countries to find out what the status of their vaccines is and if they are willing to partner with us in one way or another through trials or by manufacturing in our country, ”De said. the sorrow.
These developers are: Academia Sinica, Gamaleya Research Institute, Sinovac, Pfizer, Sinpharm, Moderna, AnGes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, ZFSW, University of Queensland, Adimmue, Tianyuan, Chang Gung University, Bharat Biotech, Bektop, Texas Children’s Hospital and the University of Saskatchewan.
Six other drug companies are covered by data confidentiality agreements, and three are already in Phase 3 of their clinical trials for the vaccines. – Gillian M. Cortez
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