ZAMBOANGA CITY - Some 18,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines have expired due to vaccine hesitancy among residents of Zamboanga Peninsula.
"Umabot na sa time na nag expire yung mga vaccines at kulang na yung mga nagpapa-vaccinate,” said Dr. Joshua Brillantes, Department of Health-9 regional director.
Brillantes explained that residents of the region would rather be vaccinated with brands such as Sinovac, Pfizer and Moderna. He also attributed the incident to a low turnout of residents for booster shots.
“We coordinated with the LGU para mag house-to-house pero may hesitancy talaga,” stressed Brillantes.
An ampule of Sputnik V can be used to vaccinate two individuals with an interval of 21 days from the first dose.
Two doses are required to protect a person against Covid-19.
In November last year, 2,570 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines given to the local government units in Region 9 also expired.