Twenty-one areas, mostly in Manila and Quezon City have been identified as sites for the World Health Organization (WHO) Solidarity Vaccine Trials (SVT) in the country, the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) said Wednesday, March 17.
DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Dr. Jaime C. Montoya disclosed this during the virtual town hall meeting organized by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) on the “COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment” held Wednesday.
Based on the documents presented by Montoya, seven areas in Manila City and six areas in Quezon City have been identified as WHO SVT sites. Some areas in Pasay City, San Juan City, Paranaque City and Taguig City have also been selected as vaccine trial sites.
Montoya noted that the Philippines will participate in the WHO SVT as approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) through its Resolution No. 47.
He said the primary goal of the SVT is "to evaluate promptly, efficiently, and reliably the safety and efficacy of candidate vaccine/s."
The DOST has been awaiting the final Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and specific protocols for the conduct of the SVT in the country since last January.