MANILA – The Philippines will settle for offering a vaccine against Russian coronavirus once a source is available, President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday, shortly after discussing a similar agreement with China.
The Filipino leader even proposed as a theme for the Russian-made vaccine.
“I will volunteer to present it in public,” Duterte said. “I’ll be the first to have experience.”
Russia plans to approve a coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday. But since the candidate finished clinical trials, critics in Western countries wonder about product protection.
However, Duterte expressed his gratitude on Monday for Moscow’s willingness to share his percentage with the Philippines.
“I am very satisfied because Russia is our friend, ” he said. “They said they’d give the vaccine.” Duterte thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name.
Igor Khovaev, Russia’s ambassador to the Philippines, told reporters Friday that Moscow had developed a “safe and effective” vaccine that is in a position to be delivered. The Southeast Asian country is also a candidate for a vaccine production site, Khovaev said.
Once approved, mass production is scheduled to begin in September, with loose injections for fitness staff and other at-risk equipment in October at the earliest.
Duterte expressed his hope that Russia would get the vaccine free of charge, unlike the United States, which would expect compensation. But Moscow stopped before saying the fountain would be loose.
The Philippines reported 136,638 COVID-19 infections, adding a daily record of 6,958 new instances on Monday. The country has once again imposed serious restrictions and other activities in Manila and elsewhere.
China is the momently component of Duterte’s vaccine diplomacy. In his state-of-the-nation report last July, Duterte revealed that he had asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to leave the Philippines as one of the first recipients of a Chinese vaccine. Beijing said it would give the application the highest priority.
While Duterte is known for making friendly proposals to China and Russia, the struggle to defeat the virus turns out to have added urgency to this approach.
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