Solon wants funding for COVID-19 vaccination plan included in 2021 nat'l budget

Amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country, a lawmaker recommended the inclusion of a fund for the COVID-19 national vaccination plan in the proposed P4.3 trillion national budget for 2021.

In a statement over the weekend, BHW party-list Representative Natasha Co lamented that "the curve has not flattened and we seem to be not 'winning'" the fight against COVID-19.

As of July 5, a total of 44,254 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country, with 1,297 deaths and 11,942 recoveries.

"This early, the national government must make the strategic decision of crafting a National Vaccination Plan. This plan must avoid everything that went wrong with dengue vaccination and other vaccination efforts that backfired because of wrong implementation on the ground, out in the field," Co said.

"The vaccine for COVID-19 must be included in the basic mandatory vaccination programs. The budget for the COVID-19 national vaccination plan must be part of the 2021 national budget," she added.

Co vowed to see to it that a funding for the COVID-19 national vaccination plan is included in next year's budget.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases recently approved the Department of Science and Technology's recommendation that the Philippines participate in the clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines.

President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed optimism over the development, Malacañang said, adding that they "expect involvement in the vaccine clinical trials by the last quarter of 2020 with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) taking a lead role."

The department's other roles in the clinical trials include the identification of the sites, the local institutions, and the Filipino researchers who will be involved in the collaborative trials; assisting local participating institutions in their proposals and budgets; obtaining Ethics Board approvals; and formalizing the agreements.

Duterte also offered a P50-million reward to any Filipino who could discover a vaccine against COVID-19.

He also told the Department of Health that he is willing to give additional research funding to local scientists.—AOL, GMA News