NEGOTIATIONS ONGOING

Galvez expects 20M doses of COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in next 4 months

The Philippine government is expecting to get 20 million doses of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in the next four months, eyeing its use for senior citizens while AstraZeneca vaccines are temporarily unavailable in the country, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Tuesday.

“Ang ating negotiations are ongoing at baka this week po magkaroon ng pirmahan sa supply agreement. Ang ating ine-expect is they will supply 20 million doses within the next four months,” Galvez said in an ANC interview.

(Our negotiations are ongoing and we are expecting the signing of the supply agreement this week. We are expecting that they will supply 20 million doses within the next four months.)

Galvez also disclosed that 500,000 of the 20 million doses will arrive this April as part of the “mini rollout” of the Russian vaccine.

Based on its emergency use authorization (EUA), Galvez said Sputnik V can be used on senior citizens while the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines remain unavailable in the Philippines due to supply shortage.

“Nakita po natin sa EUA niya, puwede po siyang gamitin sa elderly, so from 18 and above (We saw in its EUA filed before the FDA that it can be used on the elderly, so it can be used to persons aged 18 and above),” Galvez said.

“So ‘yun po ang gagamitin namin at ‘yun po ang maganda para at least in the absence of AstraZeneca, ‘yun po ang pwede namin pong gamitin (At least in the absence of AstraZeneca, that’s what we will use),” he added.

Initially, the Philippine government only used AstraZeneca vaccine for senior citizens while Sinovac jabs are administered to persons aged 18 to 59. However, various local government units faced a shortage in vaccine supply.

The shortage of AstraZeneca vaccines prompted the FDA to allow Sinovac’s use for the senior population.

In March, the Philippine FDA has approved the EUA of Sputnik V.

Interim trial results of the Sputnik V released in November 2020 found that the vaccine was 92% effective at protecting people from COVID-19.

Aside from Sputnik V, EUAs of vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac were also approved by the FDA.—AOL, GMA News