US willing to share COVID vaccine with allies

MANILA, Philippines — The United States has expressed willingness to share a vaccine against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with its allies and partners once it is available.

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana over the weekend that developments on vaccines and therapeutics in his country are making “good progress.”

The two officials had a telephone conference discussing issues concerning the two countries.

Esper also thanked the Philippine government for its decision to suspend termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

Lorenzana was among those who expressed support for President Duterte’s decision not to terminate the VFA supposedly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think the reason that I was told (not to end the VFA) is because of this current pandemic, plus we need the cooperation from the countries to fight the pandemic. I think the President thought that it’s not timely to end the VFA,” Lorenzana said.

Department of National Defense (DND) public affairs service chief Director Arsenio Andolong said that during the teleconference, Lorenzana took the opportunity to share the Philippines’ response to the pandemic and expressed appreciation for the assistance and donations of medical supplies provided by the US government.

Local vaccine development

Meanwhile, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) wants local pharmaceutical companies to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines with Chinese or Taiwanese partners.

Science Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said the sub-technical working group (TWG) under the Inter-Agency Taskf Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) had met with representatives of 11 local companies to brief them on the DOST’s thrust to stimulate the creation of vaccine research and development and manufacturing in the Philippines.

Dela Peña said the goal of the DOST is to make the country or local pharmaceutical companies capable of developing and manufacturing vaccines against infectious diseases.

In his weekly report to the public on DOST’s COVID-19 activities, Dela Peña said the challenge for DOST was to convince prospective foreign partners for vaccine development collaboration and license out production to local pharmaceutical companies.

“We have been authorized by the IATF to negotiate vaccine trials collaboration with them,” Dela Peña said.

Taiwan donations

Taiwan donated to the Philippine government 500,000 pieces of surgical masks, 50,000 pieces of N95 masks, 20,000 isolation gowns and 5,000 personal protective gowns.

Representatives from the Manila Economic and Cultural Office and the Department of Health received the donation at the NAIA’s International Cargo Terminal on Thursday.

Representative Peiyung Hsu of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines led the handover ceremony.

The PPE will be distributed to the Department of Health and other Philippine government agencies and medical institutions.

Taiwan had earlier donated 300,000 medical masks.

It would continue sharing its experiences in the fight against COVID and working with the Philippines to contain the spread of the disease. Rainier Allan Ronda