Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) — Eight so-called ‘zones’ will join the World Health Organization’s solidarity trials for a possible coronavirus vaccine, the Department of Science and Technology said on Monday.
During a virtual briefing, Secretary Fortunato dela Peña identified the zones, comprised of 13 facilities, as follows:
– Philippine General Hospital
– Manila Doctors Hospital and San Lazaro Hospital
– Lung Center of the Philippines
– St. Luke’s Medical Center Quezon City, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and Makati Medical Center
– The Medical City
– St. Luke’s Medical Center – BGC
– Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center combined with Chong Hua Hospital and De La Salle Health Sciences Institute
– Southern Philippines Medical Center
Five zones are in Metro Manila, while Region IV (Calabarzon), Cebu and Davao have one zone each, said the Cabinet official, adding these were approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
PGH shall be the main implementer of the trials, which have a funding of ₱89 million.
The government is awaiting protocols from the WHO, which is expected in October.
Meanwhile, 980 participants signed up for WHO solidarity trials, Dela Peña said.
The IATF approved the country’s participation in the WHO solidarity trials under Resolution 47.
