Envoy hails Pinoy volunteers, nurses’ roles in UAE vaccine trials
IN her recent visit to a Group 42 (G42) health-care station at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Ambassador of the Philippines to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Hjayceelyn M. Quintana expressed her commendation and thanks to the hundreds of Filipino nurses and volunteers who took part in the Phase III trials of a potential coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine. Quintana said she was very proud of the Filipinos at the facility. The ambassador thanked all Filipino medical frontliners involved in the Covid-19 vaccine trial, especially since it will benefit humanity as a whole: “There is a core Filipino value called pakikipagkapwa, which can be roughly [translated] as “one’s care for his or her fellow human beings.”
“The dedication given by Filipinos involved in the vaccine trial springs forth from [the said] Filipino value,” Quintana shared after talking to some of the nurses working at the site. G42 has 181 Filipino frontliners composed of 180 nurses and a doctor involved in the vaccine trials.
G42 Chief Research Officer Dr. Waleed Zaher accompanied Quintana to a walk-through of the trial process, from registration to actual vaccination. He introduced to the ambassador the Filipino medical workers, as he expressed the UAE’S appreciation for their role in the mission.
According to Zaher, the ambassador’s visit contributed to boost the morale of the Filipino nurses. One of them, Rogelio Buezon Jr., stated: “We are privileged and grateful to see our ambassador taking time to visit the Filipino frontliners. This is a great way to send a message of hope that the Philippine government values the efforts of frontliners like us, especially during these times.”
One of the first Filipino volunteers was Neil Bie, a reporter from the Uae-based The Filipino Times. Bie said his prime motivation for volunteering was a means to give back to the Middle Eastern country for caring for all foreign residents like him during the pandemic, the same way it treats its own citizens.
The Adnec trial site is currently the biggest of its kind in the world. Since July 16, the potential vaccine has been administered to more than 15,000 people of various nationalities, including Filipino volunteers.
The UAE is one of the first countries undertaking a Phase III trial for a potential Covid-19 vaccine. The one being tested in the UAE is being developed by Chinese company Sinopharm.