3,000 doses of Sputnik V arrive in Manila

Sputnik V gets distributed in Manila. PHOTO/Presidential Communications Operations Office – Office of the Global Media and Public Affairs (PCOO-OGMPA)

MANILA, Philippines — After the first batch of Sputnik V’s arrived in the country on May 1, the City of Manila received 3,000 doses from the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday.

Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso said the city hall would prioritize frontline medical workers for the mass vaccination using the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Gamaleya Research Institute (GRI), Sputnik V.

“Priority dito sa ating mga medical frontliners, ‘yung mga nasa A1 category na hindi pa nakapagpabakuna,” said Domagoso.

(Our priority here is our medical frontliners, those in the A1 category who have not yet been vaccinated.)

The mayor added that seniors (A2) and patients with comorbidities (A3) would get vaccinated if there are any left after those in the A1 category.

The 3,000 doses of the said vaccine were allocated to the City of Manila by the Department of Health (DOH) after receiving 15,000 doses of Sputnik V, the first batch of the 20 million doses in the Philippines is eyeing to procure.

READ: PH receives first batch of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines

DOH said the first batch of Sputnik V would be distributed to four major cities in Metro Manila.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Sputnik V has a 91.6 percent efficacy rating and is authorized to be used in 64 countries with a total population of over 3.2 billion people.

The reported side effects of the said vaccine include flu-like symptoms, arm soreness, and headaches.

Sputnik V also requires two doses, much like the other vaccines currently available in the country.

Brazil, however, banned the vaccine after health regulators raised questions about its safety.

Brazil’s concerns were prompted by findings that the adenovirus used in the Sputnik V vaccine could replicate and might cause problems for those with low immunity or with respiratory complications.

Since then, Russia has said that it would sue Brazil’s health regulator for defamation.

As of May 3 at 11 a.m., the number of people who have preregistered through Manila’s registration website has reached 327,000. Out of that number, 79,561 have been vaccinated.

Meanwhile, 25,337 are already fully vaccinated or have received the second dose of their COVID-19 vaccine.

Domagoso said Manileños could register at the website: manilacovid19vaccine.ph

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