DOST open to COVID-19 vaccine development collaboration with other countries
By Dhel Nazario
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has already initiated contact for possible collaboration with its bilateral partners to aid in the COVID-19 situation in the country.
In a statement, the agency said it has specifically expressed its willingness to collaborate with other countries on clinical trials on COVID-19 vaccine development, that will help not just the country but also all countries affected by this pandemic.
To date, the DOST has already received positive feedback from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on a possible vaccine development collaboration. Initial talks with both DOST and CAS scientists and experts will commence to determine their next steps.
Subsequently, the British Embassy in the Philippines has already shared six projects related to COVID-19 that was approved by its Medical Research Council (MRC).
These projects were already shared for review and identification by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), where local experts prefer to participate with reference to COVID-19’s vaccine development.
Likewise, counterparts from the Russian Embassy, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Manila, have positively acknowledged DOST’s intent to collaborate, and expressed their support to this initiative.