Duterte asks China, Russia for vaccine loans

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte will ask China and Russia if they can provide loans to the Philippines to enable the country to acquire the much-needed vaccines in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019.

In his taped Talk to the Nation last Monday, Duterte reiterated his faith in the vaccines now being developed by China and Russia as he gave the public an overview of the government’s efforts against the disease.

“As I have stated time and again, repeatedly, that the only salvation available to humankind at this time of our life is if you are stricken with a virus, the answer is always vaccine,” he said from Davao City.

Duterte tried to explain what a vaccine is – it provides a defense mechanism for the body and boosts the immune system. “Actually it is of no cost to anybody, but for a reason that it is science and it has to be developed, there is a great expense involved,” he said.

The Chief Executive again thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for being the first leaders to offer cooperation with the Philippines for access to the vaccines.

“I would like to thank Russia, President Putin, and China, President Xi Jinping, for offering to provide us with the vaccine as soon as it is possible for distribution to the public,” he said. “I cannot overemphasize my debt of gratitude.”

Duterte said the vaccines will be costly, hinting that procurement would be possible through grants or loans. He added that the vaccines are “not for free, for after all, they did not develop the vaccine without great expense and also the human effort involved.”

“Bibilhin natin ‘yan (We will buy that). Kaya lang kung mahal (However, if it is quite expensive) then I will ask the… my friend, President Putin and President Xi Jinping to give us a credit, parang utang (like a loan), a credit line but we will pay not in one payment but by installments. Basta ang sinasabi ko magbayad tayo. Hindi ito libre (What I’m saying is we will pay. This is not free),” he said.

Duterte said he would reiterate the Philippines’ intent to procure the vaccines, but also admitted that the economy has been badly hit by the pandemic just like other countries.

“I would always tell them that we are willing and if we are short of money by this time because all of the economy of the world, individual countries, have fallen flat,” he said.

“Everything now is having an economic hemorrhage. It is uncontrollable because people cannot really work. They cannot be productive. And so you have a problem at hand,” Duterte lamented.

Last week, Duterte even volunteered to be among the first to be injected with the vaccines developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology, although it has yet to pass the final stages of clinical trials.

China has also committed to provide the Philippines access to any treatment and vaccines that they would develop to fight the disease.

Test subjects to be insured

Those participating in the clinical trials for touted vaccines and other drugs for COVID-19 will be insured and be asked for their consent to be subjects of the tests, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said yesterday.

Duque told the Senate committee of the whole, which is investigating alleged anomalies in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), that the government will take every precaution to make sure the vaccine brands to be authorized for release to the public will be safe.

Responding to questions from Sen. Francis Tolentino on vaccine selection, the health chief said government already has guidelines on selecting and testing that will be supervised by various agencies – such as the Departments of Health (DOH) and Science and Technology – and private experts, and medical and scientific organizations.

“There are protocols for that. Compulsion (to be test subjects) is not allowed but there must be consent. There should be measures in place to ensure safety, especially in case of adverse reactions or events. There is a default network of services that will respond to any adverse event,” Duque said.

“Safety is No. 1. We need to monitor even after the vaccine is released, there will be post-marketing surveillance or pharmaco-vigilance,” he said.

Tolentino said there are over 130 vaccines and drugs being developed in various countries so the government must choose carefully which to authorize for inoculation in the country.

Duque said the government is initially looking at candidate vaccines from Pfizer from the US, Sputnik 5 from Russia, and one from China.

Tolentino challenged Duque to have himself inoculated with the vaccine that will come out of Wuhan, China even as he noted it was President Duterte who volunteered to be the first test subject of vaccines.

Duque, however, said the vaccines must be screened first.

“Let me remind you Mr. Secretary that your dilly-dallying and semblance of evasion in answering the question is probably reflective of your non-bravery being the field marshal of this pandemic war,” Tolentino retorted.

The lawmaker also asked Duque to hasten the crafting of a clear roadmap for a COVID-19 vaccine acquisition to provide the government’s recovery plan with a clearer direction.

Duque admitted the exact allocation that the executive branch will ask Congress for purchasing vaccines has yet to be finalized, as lawmakers are expected to start deliberations on the proposed 2021 national budget.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Sen. Pia Cayetano asked Duque whether or not the country is willing to waive fourth-stage vaccine trials in the country so the serums can be allowed for administration sooner. The health chief said the matter must be studied first.

New phase

According to World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for the Western Pacific Takeshi Kasai, what the region is seeing now is “not simply a resurgence of cases.” As of Aug. 16, the region accounted for 409,589 of the 21.2 million COVID-19 patients recorded worldwide.

“We believe it’s a signal that we’ve entered a new phase of the pandemic in Asia,” he noted in a virtual press conference.

Kasai added that some countries in the region that have moved quickly to contain the virus in the early months of the epidemic are now fighting new surges, “in some cases, larger than their initial outbreaks.”

“In our region, while the number of cases reported has been much smaller than other parts of the world, each country is facing a different situation,” he said.

Vaccine reliance

Asked about Sputnik 5, Kasai gave assurance that the WHO welcomes “all advances in COVID-19 vaccine research and development.”

But he said the WHO also “continues to emphasize that accelerating vaccine research should be done following the steps to ensure that every step of the development will contribute to ensuring the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.”

“When we talk about vaccine, my position is, on one hand, very optimistic but on one hand, very cautious. Optimistic because I’ve been so impressed by the speed of development,” he claimed.

Kasai added he is cautious “because even if it can be developed (as a) safe and effective vaccine, production capacity will not really meet the demands coming from the entire world.”

No evidence

Meanwhile, there is still no hard evidence that proves that Chinese drug Lianhua Qingwen can be used as cure for COVID-19, amid hopes by some that the entry of the drug in the Philippine market might boost chances of more recoveries from the disease.

In a virtual briefing set by Malacañang, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said the Chinese medicine can be sold in the Philippine market, but it should not be seen as a treatment for the severe respiratory disease.

“Approved in FDA means it can be sold to the public, but having hard evidence or scientifically proven that it will actually cure you of COVID-19 is still not answered. Besides this Chinese medicine is herbal, just like herbal medicines that we have,” he said.

Asked if the medicine can be used to treat COVID, Vega said, “There is no hard evidence on this.”

Lianhua Qingwen was approved by the FDA last Aug. 7 as  a “traditionally used herbal product (that) helps remove heat-toxin invasion of the lungs, including symptoms such as fever, aversion to cold, muscle soreness, stuffy and runny nose.” – Paolo Romero, Sheila Crisostomo