TO ensure the Philippines will not be left out once a vaccine for COVID-19 is developed, Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said he is meeting with officials of AstraXeneca along with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In a tweet, Locsin said, “We’re meeting AstraXeneca later with FDA.” He said the vaccine will be made available at an affordable price.
“Will assure them fairness across the board, no favors, no funny stuff, we need all the vaccines we can get. Xeneca will be sold at cost,” Locsin stressed.
The Secretary said the candidate vaccines under the COVAX FACILITY are: Inovio (USA), Pfizer/Moderna (USA), CureVac (Germany), Merck/Themis (USA/Austria), AstraZeneca/Oxford (UK), Univ of Hong Kong, Novavax (USA), Clover Biopharma (China), Univ of Queensland (Australia).
In another tweet, Locsin said “one thing DFA will do is lay bare the guts of international vaccine development, contracting, deployment and manufacturing so no one corners the market; no one is excluded; private sector participation is encouraged. Duterte vowed the end of PhilHealth ways of doing business.”
During the recent Asia Society event, coinciding with the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Locsin in a keynote speech discussed the Philippines’ actions against the COVID-19 pandemic and how the Philippine Government continues to work with other countries in addressing the effects of the pandemic.
Quoting President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in the latter’s address before the UNGA: “President Duterte made it clear. How we address COVID-19 will define our future. For the Philippines, that means putting people at the core of our global response,” he pointed out.
