(Fighting New Coronary Pneumonia) Duterte: China-Philippines Friendship Achieves Results The Philippines' First New Coronavirus Vaccine Is Expected to Come from China
China News Agency, Manila, July 31 (Reporter Guan Xiangdong) Philippine President Duterte said on the 31st through the Philippine state-run television station PTV-4 that the friendly relations between the Philippines and China are achieving results, and the Philippines will win the first place. A new coronavirus vaccine is expected to come from China. He also announced that due to the severe epidemic, Metro Manila and Cebu City continue to implement "General Community Quarantine" (GCQ) measures.
Data map: Philippine President Duterte. Photo by China News Agency reporter Guan Xiangdong
In his speech, Duterte paid tribute to Chinese researchers and informed Chinese that the new coronavirus vaccine developed by relevant Chinese scientific research institutions has achieved good clinical results.
On July 27, Duterte stated in his State of the Union address that he hoped that China’s new coronavirus vaccine would be given priority to the Philippines after its successful development.
On July 28, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in a regular press conference to answer questions from reporters that since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, China and the Philippines have worked together and helped each other, and anti-epidemic cooperation has become a new highlight of bilateral relations. The Philippines is a friendly neighbor of China, and we are willing to give priority to the needs of the Philippines in terms of vaccines.
Duterte said that once the vaccine is obtained, the government will provide it to citizens free of charge, and will give priority to the poor and vulnerable groups, patients in hospitals, and the "strong backbone of the country" police and military.
The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) announced that as of 4 pm on the 31st, a record number of 4,063 confirmed cases in a single day on that day, and a total of 90,000 confirmed cases, reaching 93,354 cases. Currently, there are 26,153 patients who are still ill, of which 87.8% have mild symptoms, 10% are asymptomatic, severe symptoms account for 1.3%, and critical symptoms account for 0.9%. At the same time, the number of hospital beds and ventilators used by patients with new coronary pneumonia continues to increase.
Philippine Presidential Spokesperson and Secretary Locke revealed that in order to more effectively control the spread of the epidemic while recovering social and economic life, the Philippine Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Disease Management (IATF-EID) is considering additional guidance to the public under existing health standards. Use face masks as a supplement to wearing masks in low-ventilation areas (including public transportation). (Finish)