By Ma. Teresa Montemayor
MANILA – The efficacy of Sputnik V would not be affected by a delay in the administration of its second dose as long as it does not reach six months or beyond, a vaccine expert said Friday.
“Hindi natin papayagan na walang second dose. So, kung ma-delay man ‘yan, as long as the delay is not after six months or after a year, that will [not] be dangerous,” Vaccine Expert Panel member Dr. Rontgene Solante said in an online media forum.
Earlier, National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the delivery of 50,000 doses of Sputnik V this month has been delayed due to ongoing upgrades on the vaccine.
Solante noted a delay of four weeks to two months on the second dose would still make Sputnik V a “good vaccine with partial protection based on initial data”.
“If you look at the AstraZeneca, ‘yung 12 weeks na interval nila, ang ganda pa rin. Mas tumataas ang efficacy niya to 80 percent instead of just the 67 percent four weeks interval,” he said.
Since AstraZeneca and Sputnik V are both viral vector vaccines, Solante said the vaccine experts are expecting that the Russian-made shot would have an increased efficacy rate with the extension of the interval between its first and second doses similar with AstraZeneca.
On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Gamaleya Institute, manufacturer of the Sputnik V, is seeking to amend the vaccine’s emergency use authorization (EUA) to extend the interval between the two doses from the current 21 days to 90 days.
The FDA granted Spuntik V an EUA last March 19. (PNA) -rir
