Manila healthcare workers receive Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

The Manila City Government on Tuesday began inoculating its healthcare workers against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with doses of the Russia-made Sputnik V vaccine.

According to the Manila PIO, around 59 medical frontliners of the Sta. Ana Hospital have received the vaccine as of 12 noon.

“Gaya na rin po ng bilin ng ating alkade, Mayor Isko Moreno, susundin po namin yung catergory na inilatag po satin ng IATF at ng DOH. So magsisimula po tayo sa medical frontliners, yung mga A1," Manila Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan said.

(In accordance with the advisory of Mayor Isko Moreno, we will follow the category set by the IATF and the DOH. So we will start with medical frontliners, the A1 category.)

"Pagkatapos po nun, kung wala na pong nag-a-avail in how many days time siguro in 2-3 days, ay ibibigay na po natin yan sa susunod na category," she added.

(After that, if no one has availed in two to three days, we can give the vaccines to the next category.)

The local government earlier announced that 3,000 doses of Sputnik V were shipped to Manila on Monday.

According to City Health Officer Dr. Arnold 'Poks' Pangan, the vials would be enough to vaccinate 3,000 frontliners in six district hospitals and national government hospitals in Manila.

Dr. Grace Padilla, the Sta. Ana Hospital Director, later said that 70% of the hospital’s healthcare workers have already been vaccinated against COVID-19.

"We kept on encouraging them na magpabakuna na sila because we are in a COVID-19 center, so ang risk namin ay mas mataas than any other healthcare workers,” she said.

(We kept on encouraging them to get vaccinated because we are in a COVID-19 center so our risk is higher compared to other healthcare workers.)

As of 6 p.m. Monday,  the local government has vaccinated 79,593 medical frontliners, senior citizens, and those with comorbidities. Of this, 25,341 have received their second dose.

Meanwhile, the Philippines has reported 1,062,225 COVID-19 cases as of Monday afternoon, of which 975,234 have recovered and 17,525 have died. — RSJ, GMA News