THE Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Bacolod City will recommend to a pharmaceutical company 15 barangays with the highest coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases to be part of its vaccine clinical trial, an official said.
This was stressed by Dr. Chris Sorongon, deputy for medical data and analysis of the EOC-Task Force, Thursday, January 28, 2021, after Bacolod City was among the identified areas in the country to be part of Phase 3 clinical trials of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson for its Covid-19 vaccine.
Sorongon said on Wednesday Dr. Adonis Guancia, the principal administrator of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine clinical trial in Bacolod City, held a briefing at the Bacolod Government Center for the pivotal Phase 3 trials of the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine.
“They coordinated us to get the lists of the barangays to be their possible volunteers for the vaccine clinical trials,” he said.
He added that they will suggest to the barangays to gather the names to avoid duplication.
Sorongon noted the Department of Science and Technology earlier identified the 18 sites for the vaccine clinical trials, where Bacolod City and Iloilo City were among the identified sites.
Sorongon said the team of Guancia is eyeing to reach 500 to 1,000 volunteers aged 18 and above for the vaccine clinical trials.
He said the vaccine clinical trials, which are composed of two doses, will be held at the Riverside Medical Center.
“We appreciate and we are happy that Bacolod City is among the sites being identified for this vaccine clinical trial. However, we enjoin these particular companies that they really have to see to it that the safety of the Bacolenos are the utmost concern and we would like to ask them full transparency of their research data observation,” he added.
Once the outcome of the vaccine clinical trial is good, Sorongon said this will affect the perception of the Bacoleños on how safe and how the vaccine works against Covid-19.