The Philippines will participate in the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access facility, Malacañang said on Friday.

This as the Palace commended The Medical City for its mesenchymal stem cell therapy program for patients with coronavirus disease pneumonia.

"We fervently pray that the aforesaid program would continue to show promising results," said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a statement.

He said the Duterte administration fully supports researches and practices that would ease the sufferings of patients from COVID-19.

Roque also said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved the participation of the Philippines in the Gavi COVAX facility, including the corresponding allocation of funds.

Through the COVAX Facility, which Gavi is creating, doses will be distributed equitably as they become available between the self-financing countries that will pay for their doses and developing countries that would otherwise be unable to afford to pay for the vaccine.

According to Gavi, a small proportion of the total will also be kept in reserve to help tackle sporadic outbreaks and for humanitarian response.

For the self-financing countries, doses will be distributed equitably amongst participating countries, with each guaranteed enough doses to protect up to 20 percent of their population, as more doses become available.

An equal allocation of doses dedicated to funded countries will be distributed according to the World Health Organization’s global allocation framework, which is being set up to ensure that the most vulnerable populations and health care workers get priority to tackle the pandemic most effectively.

"The battle against COVID-19 remains our focus. Let us stand united in defeating this enemy so together we can heal and recover as one," Roque said. Celerina Monte/DMS