President Rodrigo Duterte gave people hope on winning the battle against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) with the possibility of acquiring a vaccine during his 5th State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao said on Monday.

The public, including Antiqueños, were eager to hear about what the President would say about the pandemic and its possible cure.

“Pretty soon, there will be a vaccine to Covid-19 as President Duterte has mentioned,” she said.

In his SONA delivered at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, President Duterte said he talked with Chinese President Xi Jinping about four days ago to allow the Philippines to be one of the first to avail if ever they develop a vaccine against Covid-19.

Cadiao also agreed with the President’s view that the reopening of the businesses or economy should not be hastened given the absence of treatment for Covid-19.

“We have maintained the quarantine of the people who newly arrived in the province to make sure that they do not carry the disease,” she said.

She added that the role of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-IED) had been crucial in the management of the disease.

Cadiao told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that the success in the province’s fight against Covid-19 was due to the cooperation of the mayors of the 18 municipalities.

Based on the report of the Integrated Provincial Health Office, Antique has four active cases of Covid-19 – three in San Remigio and one in this capital town. (PNA)