The Philippine government began rolling out the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine today (May 4) in the National Capital Region (NCR), after the first 15,000 doses arrived from Russia over the weekend.
According to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., the initial rollout in select Metro Manila cities was successful and public acceptance of the vaccine was high.
Galvez said at the rollout in Parañaque that the country is expecting the arrival of Sputnik V orders in bulk, which will be more than the initially planned 500,000 doses.
“Most likely second to third week of this month [darating ang bulto], kasi kailangan natin ng second dose. ‘Yung 15,000 [doses] ay first component pa lang po ‘yun. Ang nine-negotiate na natin ay one million to two million,” Galvez said.
In Manila, the vaccination at Sta. Ana Hospital was led by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. Manila is one of the pilot cities selected for the rollout of the vaccine, which requires subzero storage temperature. The initial doses are allocated for Priority List A1, and almost 120 individuals pre-registered for today.
“Gaya ng sinabi ko, ginto ang bakunang ito. So kinakailangan ang pagsunod sa product information,” Duque said.
Sta. Ana Hospital Director Grace Padilla said the vaccine must be thawed for three to five minutes, and can be administered within two hours.
Makati City also began the rollout of the Russian vaccine to 800 residents. The initial rollout was attended by National Task Force Against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon.
Meanwhile, Taguig City conducted a simulation exercise for the storage of the vaccine and its delivery to mega vaccination hubs. The products were placed in a special insulated box with a GPS and temperature monitoring device.
Twenty individuals under Priority List A1 to A3 were vaccinated today. Taguig will begin the official rollout of Sputnik V tomorrow, and they aim to inoculate around 100 to 200 persons per day. – Report from Patrick de Jesus/AG-jlo
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