First 15k doses of Sputnik V arrive in PHL; add’l 485k vaccine doses to follow this month

Pilot rollout in 5 NCR cities crucial if PHL can handle, administer Sputnik V that require -18°C storage

Courtesy PCOO

 

(Eagle News) — Some 15,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine arrived in the country on Saturday afternoon, May 1, representing the first batch of of a total of 500,000 doses that will be delivered this month.

The 15,000 doses will be used in the pilot roll-out of the vaccine in five cities in Metro Manila which will test the country in its readiness to handle vaccines requiring ultra cold-storage. Sputnik V needs to be stored in negative 18 degrees Celsius (-18°C)

Vaccine czar and National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Marat Pavlov welcomed the arrival of the initial doses of the Sputnik vaccine in the country.

The five cities where the initial doses of Sputnik V will be rolled out are Manila, Taguig, Makati, Parañaque, and Muntinlupa.

NTF deputy chief implementer and testing czar Vince Dizon said each of these cities will receive 3,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine.

The cities were chosen because they have the storage facilities which can keep the vaccines at that temperature, and because they have already been trained on the handling of the vaccines.

Dizon explained that while most cities in Metro Manila have cold storage facilities with -20 degrees Celsius temperatures or even lower than this, what is important is the training in the handling of these vaccines.

-Galvez: PHL has secured 10M Sputnik V doses-

The 15,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines were brought by Qatar Airways flight QR932, from Moscow via Qatar. The plane landed at around 3:50 p.m., at the Bay 114 ramp of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

Galvez said the additional 485,000 doses will also be delivered within the month. He bared that the country has secured a total of 10 million doses of Sputnik V, but this may increase to 20 million.

-Logistical test-

He said that the pilot roll-out in the five Metro Manila cities will determine the Philippine’s capability in handling and administering the vaccines. He calls it a “logistical test.”

“It’s like a logistical test. Gusto ng Russia na talagang bago tayo magkaroong ng huge volume, alam na natin kung ano ang gagawin,” he said in an interview where he was quoted by the Philippine News Agency.

Galvez said that the Philippines has two contracts with Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology which developed Sputnil V. The initial 10 million doses will be paid using Department of Health funding, while the payment for the second 10 million doses will be from the Asian Development Bank

-Handling of Sputnik V doses different from Sinovac, AstraZeneca jabs-

Unlike the previous Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines, wherein the two doses required for complete immunization are basically the same, the first and second dose of Sputnik V contain different ingredients.

“The Sputnik V vaccine is produced using biotechnology, without using the SARS-CoV-2 virus pathogenic for humans. The drug contains two components: Component I and Component II,” the Food and Drug Administration provided instructions on the vaccine stated.

“Component I includes a recombinant adenoviral vector that uses a serotype 26 human adenovirus carrying a SARS-CoV-2 protein S gene. Component II includes a serotype 5 human adenoviral vector carrying a SARS-CoV-2 protein S gene.”

-Special instructions in administering Sputnik V jabs-

The administration of the Sputnik V vaccines has special instructions, and not the same as the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.

“The vaccine is for intramuscular injection only. Intravenous administration of the drug is strictly prohibited. The vaccine is injected into the deltoid muscle (the upper third of the outer shoulder surface). If it is impossible to inject the drug into the deltoid muscle, the drug is injected into the vastus lateralis,” the instructions read.

“The vaccination is administered in two stages: first 0.5 mL of Component I, and then, three weeks afterwards, 0.5 mL of component II is injected,” it said.

Because the vaccines have to be stored at negative 18 degrees Celsius or lower, there are also special instructions on how to prevent wastage of the vaccines.

Both components 1 and 2 of the Sputnik V vaccines meant as separate doses look the same. Component I in frozen solution, is “a dense, solidified mass whitish in color.” After thawing, it turns into a “homogeneous solution, colorless or with a yellowish hue, slightly opalescent.”

(Eagle News Service)