Vax expert: Delayed Sputnik V second dose will not affect vaccine efficacy

FILE PHOTO: A vial labeled “Sputnik V coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine” on March 24, 2021. REUTERS / Dado Ruvic

MANILA, Philippines — A delayed administration of the second dose of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine will not affect the efficacy of the Russian-made vaccine, a member of the Vaccine Expert Panel said Friday.

Dr. Rontgene Solante, also the head of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine unit at the San Lazaro Hospital, said the second dose of the vaccine will still be safe for as long as the interval is not extended to six months or beyond.

“Hindi natin papayagan na walang second dose. So kung madelay man ‘yan as long as the delay is not after six months or after a year, that will [not] be dangerous,” Solante said in an online media forum on Friday.

(We cannot allow the non-provision of the second dose. If there is a delay and the delay is no longer than six months or after a year, then that will not be dangerous.)

“So let’s see kung ang delay lang ay four weeks or two months (If the delay of the second dose is only from four weeks to two months), I think it’s still good, it can still be a good vaccine. There will still be partial protection based on initial data and we don’t need to worry about that,” he added.

Solate gave this assurance after National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said the delivery of 50,000 Sputnik V doses will be delayed due to “ongoing upgrades and latest developments on the vaccine.

Solante noted that the second dose is meant to boost the existing antibodies from the first dose.

“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.

(If you look at AstraZeneca’s 12-week interval, it’s still good. The efficacy rate even increased to 80 percent from 67 percent that you can get from the interval of four weeks.)

“So, we are looking at it that way because the same lang sila. Magkapareho sila. Virus-vectored vaccine sila so it’s not something to worry for me,” Solante explained.

(So, we are looking at it that way also because they’re just the same. They are both virus-vector vaccines and it’s not something to worry about.)

Sputnik V is normally being given in two doses with a three-week interval between doses.

Over 9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have so far been administered in the country since March, with more than 2 million people now fully vaccinated or have received two doses of the vaccines. Sofia Vertucio, trainee

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