Duterte: End of COVID-19 crisis 'months and months away still'

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday asked Filipinos to be patient and resilient as the country continued to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Duterte expressed hope that a cure for COVID-19 will be developed soon even as he warned the public of “dangerous and abnormal times” due to the global health crisis.

“Sadly, its end appears to be months and months away still,” the President said in his message to the graduates of the Philippine Military Academy’s Masidlawin Class of 2020 and the Philippine National Police Academy’s Mandayug Class of 2020.

"In the meantime, we can take measures to alleviate or mitigate the hardships wrought upon us and raise our hopes that sooner or later the cure [that] will set us free from COVID-19 shall be made available to all of us.”

Duterte delivered his message in Malacañang for the first simultaneous virtual commencement exercises attended by the President in light of the pandemic.

Early this week, Duterte said that a vaccine for COVID-19 may become available as early as January next year, citing the recent news about American biotech firm Moderna, which reportedly produced "positive interim" results in its first clinical tests.

Duterte also cited reported successes of Chinese researchers in developing a vaccine.

"Patience, perseverance and resiliency are the crying need of the moment. I trust that every Filipino has this in his person and virtues abundant,” the President said in his speech.

The Philippines has so far reported 13,597 COVID-19 cases, with 857 deaths and  3,092 recoveries. -NB, GMA News