FILE PHOTO: A vial labeled “Sputnik V coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine” is seen in this illustration picture taken May 2, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines awaits to receive the first batch of a million doses of the single-shot Sputnik V Light this September, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Friday.
Galvez also said 190,000 doses of Sputnik V’s Component 2, which is administered as a second dose, may likewise be delivered either this “weekend or early next week.”
“This shipment of Sputnik V vaccines shall be used for the second dose. After this, we will be receiving the single-shot Sputnik V Light as we move forward with our vaccine rollout,” he said, as quoted in a statement by the National Task Force against COVID-19.
Experts recommend an interval of 21 to 42 days between the first and second dose of Sputnik V.
But as delays continue to hit the delivery of Sputnik V’s Component 2, Galvez allayed worries of those who have received their first dose saying the interval for the second shot could wait for up to six months.
READ: Experts recommend 42-day interval between Sputnik V vaccine doses
“As per our vaccine experts from the Department of Health, the gap between first and second doses of Sputnik V can be as long as six months, so no need to worry because the vaccines are arriving soon,” he said.
The delay in the delivery of Sputnik V’s Component 2 earlier prompted local government units to defer the second dose schedules of vaccine recipients.
To date, the Philippines has received 57.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from different manufacturers.
The government earlier reported that over 17 million individuals nationwide were already fully vaccinated against the new coronavirus disease.