Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara, who chairs the Task Group on Vaccine Evaluation and Selection (TG-VES) said the platform used by Sinovac Biotech in producing its coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine is inactivated virus, which is the "most tried and te
(PIXABAY / MANILA BULLETIN)
Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara, who chairs the task group, made the appeal during the televised “Laging Handa” briefing on Saturday.
“Amin pong ine-encourage ang ating mga kababayan, pag ang barangay nyo po napili sa isang mga site ng mga clinical trial, sana po ay sumali po tayo dito sa ating clinical trials kasi kailangan nating makahanap ng mga bakuna at epektibo, safe at efficacious po (We are encouraging our countrymen, that when your barangay is selected as one of the sites of the clinical trial, we hope you participate in our clinical trials because we need to find effective, safe, and efficacious vaccines),” she said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has yet to issue the final Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and specific protocols for the conduct of its Solidarity Vaccine Trials (SVT) in the country.
(AFP Photo/Fabrice COFFRINI / MANILA BULLETIN)
Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara, who leads the Task Group on Vaccine Evaluation and Selection (TG-VES), said the SOPs and protocols will be given to the Philippine government by the third week of February.
“We will get in two weeks’ time,” she told the Manila Bulletin in a phone interview.
“Kasi inexplain nila sa amin kasi biglang nagkaroon ng variants ‘yung UK and South Africa, they also had to figure out how to understate the protocol,”she said.
(They explained to us, because we suddenly had the UK and South Africa , they also had to figure out how to understate the protocol.)
(photo from AFP)
Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara, who heads the task group, noted the level of interest among the LGUs and healthcare workers on the clinical trials.
“We are getting their support,” she told the Manila Bulletin in a phone interview when asked about the results of the town hall meetings conducted by the TG-VES, in cooperation with the Task Group Demand Generation and Communication.
“It is not acceptance of vaccines, but rather understanding the information so that they can explain dun sa babakunahan nila at dun sa magpa-participate sa ating clinical trials. Natutuwa kami, when we started last January 29 there were more than 500 participants,and Monday, more than 900 participants at makita mo ang level ng interest, kasi when we started Monday, hindi pa kami nagu-umpisa 300 questions na ((It is not acceptance of vaccines, but rather understanding the information so that they can explain to the recipients of v