A TOTAL of 720,000 Sputnik V vaccines–composed of 360,000 vaccines for Component 1 and 360,000 for Component 2– arrived today at the NAIA 3 at 4:15pm via Emirates Flight EK 332.
The number of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines delivered today is so far the largest delivery of the Russian-made vaccines after starting only with 15,000 doses delivered in May of this year, according to Russian Ambassador Marat Pavlov.
He said the Russian government has already delivered a total of 1.29 million doses of Sputnik vaccines to the Philippines. “This is proof that we are helping the Philippines not in words but in deeds.”
Ambassador Pavlov said they are also proposing for the use of the one-shot Sputnik Light as a booster that can be used with the other vaccine brands currently in the country’s inventory, composed of at least seven brands. “We are also waiting for the completion of the agreement for the purchase of 10 million doses of Sputnik Light,” he added.
For his part, National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) Special Adviser Dr. Teodoro Herbosa thanked the Russian government on behalf of the Philippine government and NTF Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr. for this largest ever delivery of procured Sputnik V vaccines into the country. “We do hope this will be of big help to the country’s vaccination program,” he said.
This latest delivery of vaccines, says Dr. Herbosa, brings to close to 92 million the number of vaccines of various brands already delivered to the country. “So I think the promise of Sec. Galvez of having at least 104 million vaccines delivered by the end of October will be fulfilled.”
Also present to welcome the arrival of the Sputnik V vaccines were Philippine Archipelago International Trading Corporation Chairman Benito Yap Aw, Philippine Archipelago International Trading Corporation President Olivia Limpe Aw, NTF Director Francel Margareth Taborlupa, Department of Health Director Maria Soledad Antonio and Dr. Maria Paz Corrales, medical consultant.