Palace announced that the arrival of the 15,000 doses of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine which were supposed to be delivered tonight, April 28, would be delayed.
“We confirm that logistical challenges resulted in the delay of the arrival of 15,000 doses trial order of Sputnik V,” Roque said in a statement.
“Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez has taken steps to address these challenges and aims to receive the initial order in the month of May instead,” he added.
The 15,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccine require -20°C storage and were supposed to be delivered at 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Roque said among the “challenges” for the vaccine delivery was there are no direct flights from Russia to the country and the required temperature for the Sputnik V’s storage.
Last month, the Gamaleya Research Institute’s coronavirus disease vaccine has been granted emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration.
However, the vaccine could not be given to 17-year-olds and under, FDA director-general Eric Domingo said earlier.
Arrival of Sputnik V vaccines delayed – Palace
“[Sputnik V, AstraZeneca] and also Pfizer [are safe for senior citizens]… Pfizer is for 16 and above, AstraZeneca is for 18 and above and Sputnik is for 18 and above,” said Domingo at a press briefing.
“It is decided that all conditions for an EUA are present and the benefits of using the [Sputnik V] vaccine outweigh the potential risk.”
The Russian vaccine is said to have a 91.6% efficacy rate against COVID-19, something that will provide protection against severe forms of such disease. The government plans to get up to 10 million doses of Sputnik V.
The vaccine would be administered in two doses and sold on international markets for less than $10 (around P500) but would be free for Russian citizens.
With a population of more than 100 million, the government targets 50 to 70 million Filipinos to receive a COVID-19 vaccine this year. To do that, about 140 million doses of vaccine are needed.
The total budget for the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination program will reach P82.5 billion.
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