Another 50,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V to arrive in PH on May 30

Vials of the Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) vaccine are seen at the Del-Pest Central Hospital in Budapest, Hungary, on Feb. 12, 2021. (REUTERS)

MANILA, Philippines — Some 50,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V are set to arrive in the Philippines on May 30, the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 said Friday.

In a media advisory, the NTF said the COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered via a Qatar Airways flight, which is expected to land at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 at 11 p.m. on Sunday, May 30.

This is the third batch of Sputnik V doses to arrive in the country. Sputnik V was developed by Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute.

The first batch of 15,000 doses arrived on May 1, while the second batch – a follow-up dose for the first shipment – arrived on May 12.

From NAIA, the NTF said the Sputnik V doses will be brought to a storage facility in Marikina City prior to distribution to various areas. This Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine should be stored in a dark place with temperatures not exceeding -18 degrees Celsius.

Metro Manila cities like Manila, Makati, Taguig, Parañaque, and Muntinlupa were the recipients of the first batch of Sputnik V shots.

The Philippines is eyeing to procure 20 million doses of Sputnik V.

KGA