Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 16) — The Department of Science and Technology plans to study the long-term effects of COVID-19 vaccines on fully vaccinated adults in the Philippines, DOST Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said Tuesday in a briefing.
The research project aims to monitor study participants for “about a year or so” and find out how effective COVID-19 vaccines are to Filipinos and for how long, outside of clinical trials, Guevara said.
“Iyong real-world data, it will answer questions of the effect on the ethnicity kasi mga Filipino na ngayon ang bakunado eh, that is one,” Guevara told a briefing.
[Translation: The real-world data will answer questions about the effect on ethnicity because there are Filipinos who have already been vaccinated.]
The second and most important question that needs to be answered is the vaccines’ efficacy over time, she added.
The undersecretary said the research proposal, including the number of volunteers that the project will enroll, is still subject to the drug regulator’s approval.
The official said the study, whose target start is next month, has a ₱100-million budget. The University of Philippines-Manila will lead the project, Guevara added.
