PH officials meet with Pfizer, the Russian Embassy on vaccine prospects

MANILA, Philippines – Government officials met separately with the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the Russian Embassy on Friday to discuss arrangements that would be made for the Philippines once a vaccine against the novel coronavirus becomes available.

The Undersecretary of Health, María Rosario Vergeire, refused to reveal other details of the meeting with Pfizer, but said that this was part of the negotiations with several manufacturers to ensure that the country can “provide appropriate and adequate vaccines for the population.”

In addition to the Department of Health (DOH), the Office of the President and the Department of Foreign Relations also participated in the meeting with Pfizer, hours after the company announced the efficacy data of its candidate vaccine, or the potential efficiency of a drug. under test. “May be available in October.”

The DOH also said it discussed the possible Sputnik V vaccine with the Russian embassy. Details of the meetings with the Russian embassy and with Pfizer will be released on Monday, Vergeire said.

No new strain

She said: “Pfizer can offer us so much and the Russian government can offer us this certain percentage of those vaccines, and the other manufacturers can offer us [more supply], it can help increase the number of people to whom we can give this COVID-19 vaccine. “

The DOH also criticized as “irresponsible” those behind the claim that the new coronavirus circulating in the country has become a “more dangerous” strain targeting young adults.

While it’s true that people ages 20-49 are the hardest-hit group, it doesn’t mean there’s a new strain targeting them, Vergeire said.

“It’s because generally they are the ones who leave their homes to go to work and run their errands,” he said.

“There is no new strain of the virus in the Philippines. It is very dangerous and irresponsible to say that we now have a different tension here in the country, “he added.

Vergeire said an increase in cases was expected because “increased economic activities imply greater mobility among our population, which in turn increases the chances of being infected.”

DOH data shows that as of Thursday, the 20-49 age group represents 58 percent of total cases or 132,693 cases.

Virus case update

The elderly, however, remained the most vulnerable to dying from COVID-19. Of the 3,688 deaths, 2,211 were among those of 60 or more.

“We remind the public to always use evidence-based and scientific information…. Misinformation adds to the anxieties and fears of our people. Let’s all be responsible, ”Vergeire said.

Just two days after seeing fewer than 3,000 new cases, DOH on Friday recorded 3,714 new infections, bringing the current national tally to 232,072.

Of the new cases presented by 93 of the 113 accredited laboratories, 3,259 became ill between August 22 and September 4, while 380 became ill between August 1 and August 21.

Metro Manila continued to have the highest number of cases with 1,797, followed by Negros Occidental (390), Batangas (248), Laguna (247) and Cavite (150).

There are currently 67,786 active cases, of which 90.7 percent are mild, 6.9 percent asymptomatic, 0.9 percent severe, and 1.4 percent critical.

A total of 160,549 patients have recovered from COVID-19 with the addition of 1,088 patients. The death toll, however, rose to 3,737 when 49 patients succumbed to the severe respiratory illness.

Of the recently reported deaths, five died this month, 35 in August, four in July, three in June and two in May. Thirty-one of the fatalities were from Metro Manila, seven from central Visayas, three from central Luzon, three from Calabarzon and one from western Visayas, Zamboanga, northern Mindanao, Davao and Mimaropa.

For DOH to say that cases are actually declining, Vergeire said they should see this reflected in the country’s seven-day moving average.

“There are many factors why cases increase or decrease. One of [these] is reporting. Are all labs submitting data? We must analyze this to determine if it is an artificial decrease due to reporting or if there is actually a reduction in cases. So we wait for the seven-day moving average to be able to measure and analyze, ”he said.

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