Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 20) — The policy-making body in the government’s COVID-19 response has approved the allotment of funds for the country’s participation in the World Health Organization Solidarity Trial – aimed at developing a vaccine against the coronavirus disease.
“The allocation of the necessary funding for the participation in the said trials [will] be proposed in the 2021 budget of the DOST (Department of Science and Technology),” the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said in its Resolution No. 47, approved on Friday and released to the media on Saturday.
It adopted a recommendation by the sub-technical working group headed by the DOST. It also agreed to create a separate panel within the working group to provide technical support for local phramaceutical companies.
The task force stressed that the Philippines should have “an equitable access and a secured portion” of the global supply once the vaccine is available.
The Philippines will also collaborate with some Chinese and Taiwanese organizations for vaccine trials. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque earlier said the country is expected to participate in the clinical trials by the last quarter of the year.
The Duterte government is also counting on Beijing to develop the vaccine against the new coronavirus, which was discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The Palace said Chinese leader Xi Jinping assured President Rodrigo Duterte that the Philippines would be prioritized once China develops a vaccine.
Worldwide, COVID-19 has infected more than 8.6 million people and killed over 460,000. The Philippine has confirmed more than 28,000 infections, with 1,130 deaths and 7,378 recoveries.
