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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Philippines Embraces Russian Offer of Free COVID-19 Vaccine

    The Philippines, which now has the highest number of coronavirus cases in East Asia, is welcoming an offer by Moscow to be among the first nations to receive free supplies of a Russian-developed COVID-19 vaccine.


    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he would even volunteer to take part in human trials of this vaccine, as countries worldwide race to develop a vaccine against the virus that has spread like a wild fire to all corners of the globe.


    On Tuesday, the Russian government announced it had registered the world’s first vaccine against the novel coronavirus disease – Sputnik V – the state-run TASS news agency reported. The vaccine is named after the first man-made satellite, which the Soviet Union launched into orbit at the dawn of the Space Race in 1957.


    Meanwhile in Indonesia, which lags just behind the Philippines in total confirmed coronavirus cases in the region, the government said it had started human trials on a potential COVID-19 vaccine being jointly developed with a Chinese firm, Sinovac Biotech.


    During a late-night cabinet meeting in Manila on Monday, Duterte revealed that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, had promised that the Philippines would be included in a first set of countries to get supplies of the vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow.


    “I am very happy because Russia is our friend,” Duterte said during the meeting, transcripts of which were released Tuesday. “They do not consider us enemies. We do not have a quarrel with Russia.”


    “They promised to give us a vaccine for free,” he added. “So now, we will accept this help but we would have to negotiate the amount of supply we would need.”


    He said was willing to serve as a guinea pig in tests of Sputnik V on people in the Philippines.


    “When the vaccine arrives, I will have myself injected in public. Experiment on me first. That is fine with me,” he said.


    Russia, through its ambassador to Manila, Igor Khovaev, recently said it that scientists in his country had discovered a “safe” coronavirus vaccine, and that Moscow would be ready to share it with its allies.


    The plan to tap Russia came weeks after Duterte said he had also asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to prioritize the Philippines when Beijing rolls out its own vaccine against the coronavirus disease.


    The virus has infected more than 20 million people and killed at least 700,000 across the globe, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. The Philippines has nearly 140,000 confirmed cases nationwide with a death toll of 2,312. On Monday, the government recorded 6,958 new cases – the highest total reported in a single day.


    The number of deaths from the disease in the Philippines is more than half of the toll recorded so far in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s most populous country, where nearly 130,000 cases had been detected as of Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins.


    On Tuesday, 19 volunteers became the first people in Indonesia to take part in trials of the vaccine being jointly developed by a state-owned firm, Bio Farma, and Sinovac Biotech, official said.


    As many as 1,620 people, who range from 18 to 59 years old and live in Bandung, the capital of West Java province, will take part in the trial that will last up to six months, officials said. By early September, scientists hope to have vaccinated more than 400 volunteers with the experimental medicine, said Rodman Tarigan, spokesman for the clinical trial team.


    “I hope that this trial will be smooth and successful. The trial is targeted to be complete within six months,” said Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.


    “With our capabilities and experiences, I think we can immediately produce a COVID-19 vaccine.”


    COVID-19 diplomacy


    In the Philippines, President Duterte has vowed an independent foreign policy and distanced himself from the United States, his country’s traditional ally, since he took office in 2016. He has aligned himself with traditional rivals, Russia and China, and has visited both countries multiple times in the last four years.


    On Monday, he took a swipe at the U.S., saying his government would have to pay for vaccines being developed by American firms.


    However, during a visit to Taiwan on Tuesday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar voiced doubts about the safety of Russia’s newly developed vaccine.


    “The point is not be the first with a vaccine,” Azar said in an interview with ABC News. “The point is to have a vaccine that is safe and effective for the American people and the people of the world.”


    During the cabinet meeting, Duterte also said he would help Russia choose a Philippine partner to distribute the drug. “We will ask them to choose their people so they can work expeditiously,” Duterte said. “We are extremely grateful.”


    The president said he was confident that Russia would roll out its vaccine for clinical trials by September or October.


    “Let’s be patient, we just have to wait a little while,” Duterte said. “By December, I said, in the fullness of God’s time, we will hopefully have a COVID-free December and we can enjoy this Christmas season.”

    Philippines Embraces Russian Offer of Free COVID-19 Vaccine

  2. #2
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    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
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    You guys use the untested vaccine for a little while and let us know how works out.
    Thank you for your service.

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Maybe that's what Vlad calls a "Phase II trial" but he just hasn't told Duterte yet....

  4. #4
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    Russian scientist are among the most advanced in the world, including Eugene Kaspersky who is a leader in fighting viruses (computer kind unfortunately). We should hope and pray that they used the virology A team and not by mistake Eugene.

    I will wait a few years in case of side effects.

  5. #5
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    What could possibly go wrong.

  6. #6
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BKKBanger View Post
    Russian scientist are among the most advanced in the world, including Eugene Kaspersky who is a leader in fighting viruses (computer kind unfortunately). We should hope and pray that they used the virology A team and not by mistake Eugene.
    It's easy to be a leader at "fighting viruses" when your Russian colleagues give you the source code....

  7. #7
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Duterte to Skip Philippine Trial of Russia Virus Vaccine

    The Philippines will begin large-scale human testing of Russia's coronavirus vaccine in October, but President Rodrigo Duterte will not receive the inoculation until regulators guarantee its safety, his spokesman said Thursday.


    Duterte had offered himself up as a guinea pig for the very first jab, expressing "huge trust" in the vaccine, despite growing skepticism about its effectiveness.

    But his spokesman Harry Roque said the president was scheduled to receive the vaccine no earlier than May 1 — weeks after the Russian-funded Phase 3 clinical trial in the archipelago is due to end in March.


    The country's Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the vaccine — developed by the Gamaleya research institute and the Russian Defense Ministry — in April.


    "May 1 is when the PSG (presidential security group) may allow him, once all requisite tests have been finished," Roque told reporters.


    Moscow says it has developed the world's first vaccine offering "sustainable immunity" against the coronavirus and is in the final stage of tests involving 2,000 people.


    Roque said Philippine experts will review next month the results of Russia's Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials before the Southeast Asian country starts its Phase 3 testing.


    "We will do it simultaneously with Russia," Roque said.


    Philippine officials from the science and technology department met with Gamaleya on Wednesday to discuss the protocols for the trial of the vaccine, which is dubbed "Sputnik V" after the pioneering Soviet satellite of the 1950s.


    The Philippines, which is struggling to contain the virus, has accepted Russia's offer to participate in production of the vaccine.


    Anna Lisa Ong-Lim, an infectious disease professor at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, said the government's timeline to have a vaccine available by May was "very optimistic."


    The country is also set to start on Aug. 17 clinical trials for the Japanese antiviral drug Avigan to treat coronavirus patients.


    The Philippines has logged the highest number of confirmed infections in Southeast Asia with more than 147,500 cases and over 2,400 deaths.

    Duterte to Skip Philippine Trial of Russia Virus Vaccine - The Moscow Times

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Headworx View Post
    What could possibly go wrong.
    ...exactly: no phase III trials? Vlad's looking for expendable third-worlders as a testing site...

  9. #9
    Thailand Expat lom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomcat View Post
    ...exactly: no phase III trials? Vlad's looking for expendable third-worlders as a testing site...

    Wassamatter with you, the vaccine has been tested on 38 volunteers.

  10. #10
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomcat View Post
    ...exactly: no phase III trials?
    "Phase 3 clinical trial involving more than 2,000 people in Russia, a number of Middle Eastern (UAE and Saudi Arabia), and Latin American countries (Brazil and Mexico) will start on August 12."

    Quote Originally Posted by lom View Post
    the vaccine has been tested on 38 volunteers
    "the vaccine had gone through all stages of pre-clinical trials with experiments on different types of animals, including 2 types of primates."

    That may include Philippine residents.

    Phase 1 and 2 clinical tests allegedly produced:

    "
    All the volunteers are feeling well, no unforeseen or unwanted side effects were observed"

    Clinical Trials

    Foreseen or wanted side affects are still being confirmed as to their length the patient remains affected by them.

    Reports of Russian female figure skaters remaining spinning on one skate, since June at ice rinks, have been dismissed by authorities.
    Last edited by OhOh; 13-08-2020 at 09:54 PM.
    A tray full of GOLD is not worth a moment in time.

  11. #11
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Philippines Embraces Russian Offer of Free COVID-19 Vaccine-20200811edbbc-jpg

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