A CORONAVIRUS vaccine might arrive in the Philippines in the next few months and those who are most vulnerable to Covid-19, including front-line workers and the elderly, could be among the first people to receive their doses.
Which Covid-19 vaccines would likely make their way to the Philippine market and what are the processes involved for them to be approved for public use?
Here's what you need to know:
Vaccines typically require years of research and testing but in 2020, scientists race to produce safe and effective coronavirus vaccines in record time.
To date, 232 candidate vaccines are being developed, 172 are being examined in the laboratories, and 60 are in the clinical trials, according to World Health Organization (WHO) Coordinator for Essential Medicines Health Technologies Dr. Socorro Escalante during a recent Laging Handa briefing.
Only 10 have reached Phase 3 clinical trials and were granted emergency use authorization around the world and only one was granted WHO emergency use listing (EUL). Pfizer has been granted both a EUA in several countries and WHO's EUL.
Among the 10, only Pfizer and AstraZeneca have so far applied for an emergency use authorization (EUA) -- an authorization issued for unregistered drugs and vaccines in a public health emergency -- in the Philippines and are currently being evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
"These vaccines differ from each other based on their platforms, cold chain requirements, and the number of doses required," Escalante said. (Ma. Teresa Montemayor)
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