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President Rodrigo Duterte wants to begin the distribution of vaccines for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the Philippines “before the second quarter” of 2021.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said Thursday that the president was encouraged by the UK’s approval of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for mass use.
“With the speed of Pfizer approval, is it possible here in the Philippines? It could be before the second quarter because I personally heard the president say ‘it should be before the second quarter (I personally heard the president say that he wants a Covid-19 vaccine approved for distribution in the country’ before the second quarter ‘of next year) “Said Roque at a press conference.
Duterte has already allowed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin issuing an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Covid-19 drugs and vaccines.
FDA chief Eric Domingo said the presidential directive makes it possible for the country to use a vaccine by March 2021 because an EUA shortens the processing time to approve vaccines from six months to 21 to 28 days.
An EUA can be issued for the first weeks of January, he said.
China has approved the use of its Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. The United Kingdom authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday, and the United States is speeding up processing of Moderna and Pfizer.
Domingo said that the availability of the vaccine for mass immunization still depends on supply and other logistical considerations.
With Pfizer’s vaccine gaining UK approval, Domingo said the pharmaceutical company could also apply for an EUA in other countries, including the Philippines.
The government’s Covid-19 task force is looking to use vaccines from different manufacturers in at least 70 million Filipinos.
The vaccination program will run for three to five years, with 25 to 30 million Filipinos vaccinated each year.
A total of 434,357 cases of Covid-19 have been registered as of Wednesday, December 2, of which 399,005 have recovered and 8,436 people have died.
Domingo said the USA will use a risk-based evaluation formula to determine which vaccines will be used.
A vaccine manufacturer can apply for an EUA through a recognized or trusted channel.
Both pathways require the vaccine to have US approval from an FDA equivalent agency, such as the US FDA, the European Medicines Agency, the Japan Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, as well as the committee of Prequalification of vaccines from the World Health Organization, Sunday. said.
He said that the Pfizer vaccine has a good chance of getting a Philippine EUA because it has already been approved by the UK government.
Duterte is expected to call for “global solidarity” to fight the Covid-19 pandemic when he joins other world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) special session on responding to the pandemic. this week.
The president will be among the world leaders participating in the UNGA’s 31st virtual special session on December 3-4.
It will be his second UN appearance since taking office in 2016.
At the 75th session of the assembly in September, Duterte said that access to vaccines “should not be denied or withheld.”
In the midst of the race to distribute a Covid-19 vaccine, Ang Probinsyano’s party list representative Ronnie Ong urged the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to issue guidelines and protocols. on immunization and post-pandemic. lifetime.
“We have to be very proactive this time. We have to configure the system as soon as possible and establish best practices and protocols for each foreseeable scenario, ”said Ong.
He said that the confusion and disagreements during the distribution of the first tranche of the Special Improvement Program should not be repeated during vaccination.
Ong suggested that the IATF-EID establish a comprehensive and detailed database of recipients as soon as the country expects a vaccine to be available.
In a related development, Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said that the use of virgin coconut oil (VCO) has been shown to reduce symptoms of Covid-19.
In a press conference Thursday, De la Peña said that based on his department’s study conducted at the Santa Rosa Community Hospital in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, probable and suspected cases of coronavirus in isolation centers did not show any symptoms 18 days after starting therapy compared to those not receiving VCO.
Five of the 29 participants in the VCO group exhibited “decreasing signs and symptoms from day two, while only one in the control group showed similar improvement,” he said.
Trial participants in the VCO group received 0.6 milliliters of VCO per kilogram of body weight during breakfast for the first three days, which increased to 1.2 milliliters per kilogram of body weight during lunch and dinner.
The 57 suspected or probable Covid-19 cases, which were separated into the VCO and control group, received the same set of standard meals from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute for 28 days.
The institute’s Dr. Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa, who proposed the study, said that while the results are promising, more studies should be conducted to determine the true effectiveness of VCO as a complementary or supportive therapy for Covid-19 patients with other comorbidities. .
Another study is being carried out in the city of Valenzuela with the same participant criteria and a third one in the General Hospital of the University of the Philippines-Philippines for patients with moderate or severe Covid-19.
Agdeppa plans to publish the study results in a scientific journal for peer review, while Philippine Coconut Authority administrator Benjamin Madrigal said other coconut producing countries under the International Coconut Community are considering conducting “solidarity trials. “for VCO.
With DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ, RED MENDOZA and RED MENDOZA
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