Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara, who heads the Task Group on Vaccine Evaluation and Selection , said they were still awaiting the WHO’s go-signal as the final Standard Operating Procedures and specific protocols for the conduct of the vaccine trails have yet to be issued.
During the 39th founding anniversary celebration of the DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development on Wednesday, March 17, Guevara noted that the country’s participation to the WHO SVT is “one of the best strategies that will allow the Philippines to contribute towards providing evidence-based safety and efficacy in humans of candidate vaccines through collective problem-solving, interconnectedness, and inclusivity.
“Preparations are ongoing for the conduct of the WHO SVT. The WHO SVT Team will confirm with the WHO Headquarters the possibility that Solidarity Vaccine Trials will refrain the use of placebo if there’s already widespread vaccination rollout by the DOH,” Guevara said. Based on the documents presented by Montoya, seven areas in Manila City and six areas in Quezon City have been identified as WHO SVT sites. Some areas in Pasay City, San Juan City, Paranaque City and Taguig City have also been selected as vaccine trial sites.