Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 29) — Health authorities said trials for possible mixing and matching of COVID-19 vaccines would begin soon in a bid to bolster the government’s inoculation drive.
“Nandun na yung protocol, naapprove na ng PCHRD (Philippine Council for Health Research and Development). It’s just a matter of time na mauumpisahan na natin itong mix- and-match. And hopefully, in a few months, matatapos na natin para meron na tayong karagdagang data,” Rontgene Solante, a member of the government’s vaccine expert panel and an infectious disease doctor, said in a televised briefing on Tuesday.
[Translation: The protocol is there and has been approved by the PCHRD. It’s just a matter of time until the mix-and-match starts. And hopefully in a few months we can finish so we can have more data.]
Solante said among the data they hope to get from the trials are which vaccines work together and which combination gives better protection.
Health Undersecretary Ma. Rosatio Vergeire also said trials in the country are about to start, but authorities would also closely watch results of similar studies overseas.
“Pero tulad ng sinasabi namin, we are not going to wait for the result of this study in the Philippines. Kung meron nang lumabas from a credible institution abroad we can already adopt that. Sa ngayon wala pa po,” she said at a separate televised briefing.
[Translation: But as we said, we are not going to wait for the result of this study in the Philippines. If studies from a credible institution abroad come out, we can already adopt that. But there is none for now.]
The Department of Science and Technology earlier said it would study how the Sinovac vaccine would work with other brands.
In the trial, around 3,000 participants who received Sinovac’s CoronaVac will be given another brand to complete their second dose. The study, to be funded by DOST, aims to determine the safety and immunogenicity of “mixing-and-matching” different brands.
