A yeast-based oral vaccine against COVID-19 receives funding from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Herein labeled as an ambitious research and Development (R & D) project, will be bankrolled by DOST through through the Philippine Council for health Research and Development, with a total budget of P4.4-million.

The R & D project conceptualized by the University of Santo Tomas-based (UST) research team on COVID vaccine will be headed by Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, an active priest-scientist, who returned to the Philippines under the DOST Balik-Scientist program. He is a visiting professor and teaches biological sciences subjects at the UST Graduate School.

In a capsule, the DOST-funded ‘ambitious R & D project “. . . seeks to tap Saccharomyces boulardii, a probiotice yeast that has already been approved for human consumption worldwide, as a vaccine delivery system mean to induce a person’s immune response.” According, the yeast S. boulardii is inexpensive and will translate into significant savings for the project and the country as a whole.

This UST-led R & D project aims “to develop an inexpensive vaccine that is shelf-stable at room temperature for easy storage and orally self-administered without the use of needles, syringe or health-care workers.” Further, the research team shall explore oral vaccine candidates’ efficacy using animals as models. Finally, results of the project could serve as reference in developing vaccines for other infectious diseases entering or are already in the country.

MY COMMENT:
This oral vaccine project may have come in late in the day, but I strongly support for its sustained funding. Who knows that the Philippines could be focal country for a ‘revolutionized vaccination program’ of the world and supplier of future COVID -19 oral vaccines!
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Stubbornness is a trait that is commonplace even among high ranking government officials who are charged with policymaking and law enforcement functions. The tendency to be uncaring is manifest in the passivity of these officials to formulate policies and enforce laws for the safety and welfare of the people. The desire to act only crops up when dire things happen due to the inaction beforehand.

Most politicians act to promote their own interests of holding into power than attend to basic needs of the people. Significant things needing legislation are set aside if the same is perceived by the politician as a minor thing in terms of promoting his political career. Action would always be an afterthought in response to bad occurrences that could have been prevented in the first place.

We have seen the dangers of structures built for commercial gains. Most of these structures are found in urban centers where stiff business competition is prevailing. Big companies plunge into the market with a bombardment of commercial advertisements for their products. These big companies are out to grab every available space to promote their products. It was begun by business companies utilizing blank walls of tall buildings for their advertisements.

Lacking enough buildings that could accommodate such purpose, advertisers started erecting frames to hold their large billboards. Some of these structures are erected on top of tall buildings in order to ensure that the advertisements would be visible to their target market. In some instances, such structures are erected solely for the purpose of advertising along highways and roads where most people pass.

It is unclear if these structures are given approval by building officials. The great possibility is that these steel structures are erected without the necessary building permit. The fact that they keep on mushrooming in various places is an indication that such are not being covered by the laws and regulations under the National Building Code.

Without passing through regulations, there is no way the erections are checked if the same are structurally sound to ensure public safety. We only realize that such erections are structurally defective when we see them collapse under the forces of nature like typhoons. In these times where typhoons and super typhoons are passing through our archipelago in succession, the dangers to life and property is truly real. The collapse had caused many deaths that could have been prevented had government bothered to regulate such deadly erections.
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