The country's vaccine inventory got a much-needed boost with the delivery of 15,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Friday afternoon, Aug. 13.
Qatar Airways flight QR 932 arrived at Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City around 4:50 p.m., carrying the Component II shipment of the Russian-made jabs.
With the delivery, the total number of vaccines that the country received since February reached 42,106,150 doses. Included in the inventory are 365,000 doses of Sputnik V.
Other brands were 22.5 million doses of Sinovac; 7.8 million doses of AstraZeneca; 3.8 million doses of Moderna; 4.2 million doses of Pfizer; 3.2 million doses of Johnson & Johnson; and 100,000 doses of Sinopharm.
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., vaccine czar and chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, said the Sputnik V vaccines will be used for the second dose inoculation of priority individuals, particularly medical frontliners (A1), senior citizens (A2), and persons with co-morbidities (A3).
Just like the AstraZeneca vaccines that were delivered earlier in the day, the Sputnik V jabs will also be deployed in areas that are experiencing a sharp increase in the number of new cases, including Metro Manila.
The delivery came amid worries of some individuals about the delayed arrival of procured Sputnik V orders due to logistical issues.
This apparently affected the scheduled second dose inoculation of those who have received their first dose more than a month ago.
To address the insufficient supply of Sputnik V, Galvez had recommended the possible "mix and match" strategy of vaccines by pairing it with AstraZeneca.
The two vaccines "have the same viral vector" and "uses the same adenovirus technology," he noted.
To recall, the Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP) is recommending a maximum dose interval of 42 days between the first and second shot of Sputnik V to achieve its maximum potency.
Galvez said he was informed by the VEP that once the 42-day interval lapses, the vaccine recipient may be given with AstraZeneca as a second dose if there are no available Sputnik V jab in the vaccination center.