DOST: 5 hospitals to serve as initial COVID-19 vaccine trial sites

Five hospitals in Metro Manila and Cebu will serve as initial trial sites in the search for a vaccine against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the chairperson of the vaccine expert panel formed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said Wednesday.

Vaccine researcher Dr. Nina Gloriana identified the trial sites as the Philippine General Hospital, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Manila Doctors Hospital, and San Lazaro Hospital in Metro Manila and the Vicente Sotto Medical Center in Cebu City.

“Ang isang kailangan ay mataas ang transmission rate ng COVID para mapasama sa clinical trial site but other hospitals may be included based on COVID-19 case rates later on,” she said in a briefing.

The trial is tentatively set for October 2020 to March 2021 but may be extended up to September 2021, according to Gloriana.

She added that there are 21 vaccines already undergoing clinical trials while 139 others are on the pre-clinical evaluation stage.

Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the DOST Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, explained that preclinical studies refer to laboratory testing and animal studies.

Phase 1 of the clinical studies includes testing the safety and efficacy of a vaccine on a small group of people, phase 2 expands coverage to hundreds of people to determine the needed dosage, and phase 3 will cover thousands of patients.

Gloriana said the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases has so far approved collaborations for vaccine trials with China and Taiwan.

“Marami pong levels ng approval bago tayo makakapag-umpisa sa ating clinical trial,” she said.

Once trials in the Philippines are underway, 1,000 to 5,000 volunteers will participate with the priority groups being people aged 18-59 years old and others at high risk for COVID-19 infection such as healthcare and frontline workers.

Gloriana added that the vaccine expert panel is monitoring vaccine trials around the world.

“Ang nakikita po namin nagii-stand out ay ang galing sa United Kingdom, ito po ‘yung Oxford vaccine. Sa United States medyo dalawa yata at ‘yung sa China, siyempre po nanggaling ang COVID-19 sa China so medyo advanced sila, at meron din pong galing sa India,” she said.

Out of the 19 to 20 vaccines undergoing clinical trials, Gloriana said Philippine experts have noted eight candidates that performed better than others.

“Kasama po diyan sa walo na ‘yan ‘yung kino-consider natin na siyang ite-test dito sa Pilipinas. Inaayos na ang lahat ng regulatory requirements,” she explained.

COVID-19 has so far infected over 11 million people and claimed more than 537,000 lives worldwide. — RSJ, GMA News