The Department of Health is currently waiting to receive a list of COVID-19 vaccines that will be included in clinical trials from the World Health Organization.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the WHO set third week of October as the date of release for the list of vaccines, as well as the sites where the trials will be conducted.
“Aantayin lang po natin kasi mayroon din silang ibinibigay na tentative date for starting the trials by the end of October,” Vergeire said in a virtual press briefing.
[We’ll wait for that because they also gave us a tentative date for starting the trials by the end of October.]
Meanwhile, several agreements have been made between the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to ensure the local government’s help in the conduct of the clinical trials, according to the DOH spokesperson.
“Lahat ng preparatory activity inaayos na natin so that pagka nasabi na ng WHO that we could already start, mauumpisahan natin agad yan,” said Vergeire.
[All preparatory activities are being done so when the WHO gives us the list, we can already start.]
On Thursday, the Philippines ranked 20th among countries with the highest number of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic started.
