Shortage of Sinopharm vaccine stalls 2nd dose for 3,000 Angeles residents

An employee of the Angeles City government carries the COVID-19 vaccine doses that were administered during a recent “Ronda Bakuna” program. (Photo from the Angeles City government)

MABALACAT CITY, Pampanga––The government of Angeles City has canceled the scheduled second dose vaccination of some 3,000 residents due to the shortage of Sinopharm vaccine supply.

The city government announced Wednesday that it canceled the Oct. 21 and 22 vaccination for Cuayan and Claro M Recto villagers as the second dose of the Sinopharm vaccine did not arrive on time.

Citing Department of Health (DOH) guidelines, the city government explained that the vaccine efficacy would not be affected even if the second dose is administered beyond the manufacturer’s recommended interval.

Some netizens expressed their disappointment over the cancellation, even citing DOH and international health organizations’ papers, which stated that the second dose of Sinopharm must be administered 21 to 28 days after the first dose.

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