Hanoi (VNA) - Atleast 15,000 Filipinos are expected to participate in the World Health Organisation-ledcoronavirus vaccine trial that will likely kick off this month, a Philippinegovernment official said on January 6.
ThePhilippines and Colombia will be the first two countries to take part in the vaccinetrial. Participants will come from Metro Manila, the capital region and the epicenterof the COVID-19 outbreak in the Philippines.
The trialaims to determine the safety and efficacy of the candidate vaccine.
The Philippine Government is now "in the advancestages" of negotiations with at least seven vaccine makers, includingChinese drug maker Sinovac Biotech, Novavax, Pfizer andJohnson & Johnson of the US, and Russian medical research institute Gamaleya to buyvaccines.
Accordingto the latest statistics, Philippines now records over 480,000 infection cases,including more than 9,300 deaths./.
