MAIN PHOTO: National Task Force against COVID 19 Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Marat Pavlo (in coat) exchanging fist bumps during the arrival of the Sputnik V vaccines at the NAIA 3.
PASAY CITY — An initial supply of Sputnik V vaccines totaling 15,000 arrived in the country at the NAIA Terminal 3 on Saturday afternoon on board a Qatar Airways flight.
The Sputnik V vaccines, made by the Gamaleya National Center of Russia, is the second government-procured vaccine that arrived in the country after Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccines.
With the arrival of the Sputnik V vaccines, the country’s vaccine supply inventory now includes vaccines from three manufacturers, after Sinovac and AstraZeneca that first arrived early this year.
National Task Force against COVID 19 Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said that the country has secured a total of 10 million doses with the Russian vaccine maker wherein the contract is expandable for up to 20 million doses.
Galvez said the 15,000 doses will be used for a dry run in preparation for the arrival of the bulk shipments starting this month.
Among those who witnessed the arrival of the vaccines at the NAIA Terminal 3 were IATF Chair and Health Secretary Francisco Duque, Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Marat Pavlo, and Usec. Robert Borje, chief of the Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant On Foreign Affairs.