MANILA – The government is in talks with the Serum Institute of India (SII) to study the possibility of vaccine production in the country, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said.
Galvez, also the National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer, said one of the topics discussed during his trip to India was the possibility of reviving the vaccine production in the country.
“Tayo po ay nakipag-usap sa SII upang pag-aralan ang posibilidad na ibalik ang kakayahan ng ating bansa na makapag-produce ng sarili nitong bakuna,” he said at Kapihan sa Manila Bay virtual forum on Wednesday.
“Ang ganda po ng SII. Meron silang 136 na scientists at gusto nilang tulungan tayo na makapag-produce ng sarili nating bakuna para sa COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019),” he added.
The official further said the country has the capability to produce its own COVID-19 vaccine – just like what it did in 1938 – to ensure a steady and stable supply of vaccines amid the pandemic.
The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City, according to him, came up with a three-year program for the expansion of its vaccine research and development.
“The Philippines has the capability to reproduce COVID-19 vaccine but it will require an economy of scale investment. Para sa ‘tin po talaga na magkaroon ng definitive na source ng vaccine,” said Galvez.
The Philippines, the last country in Southeast Asia to begin COVID-19 vaccination rollout, has vaccinated 240,297 health workers so far using the donated vaccines by Sinovac BioNTech and AstraZeneca./PN
