20 million Sputnik V doses assured for delivery by year-end, says Russian Embassy
(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte thanked Russia for providing Sputnik V vaccines to the country, and for their assurance that it would deliver more vaccines for Filipinos, as much as 20 million doses by the end of the year.
In his Talk to the Nation on Monday night, May 3, President Duterte thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for his support for the Filipinos.
Russia has promised to provide the needed vaccines to the country. It has also earlier expressed interest in setting up facilities to manufacture vaccines against COVID-19 in the country.
On May 1, the initial 15,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute arrived in the country. This is just the first batch of a total of 20 million Sputnik V doses procured by the Philippine government through a bilateral agreement. Another 485,000 doses of Sputnik V would be arriving within the month, according to vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
“Let me thank the Russian people, the government and President Putin for their kindhearted support for the Filipinos,” President Duterte said on Monday night, May 3.
Duterte assured Filipinos that the government is doing its best to get the vaccines needed for the population.
“We still have to have the vaccines in numbers because we have plenty of Filipinos to vaccinate. Now, ang importante siguro mga kapatid ko is that we talk first of what is important to you. Dumadating na ‘yong bakuna so I think that one of these days everybody has to fall [in] line by sector,” he said.
The Philippines has so far more than 4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, most of which – 3.5 million are Sinovac vaccines from China.
But vaccine czar Galvez said that soon more of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines would be coming into the country. He also reported to President Duterte how Russia’s envoy to the country, Ambassador Marat Pavlov was emotional when the Sputnik V vaccines arrived.
“Nagpapasalamat po tayo sa ating ambassador. He is very emotional, sir, na naluluha siya, sir, kasi at least medyo — sabi niya nakatulong kami sa Pilipinas na mapaabot ang kanilang vaccine. Si Ambassador Marat Pavlov po, sir, talagang halos lumuluha siya noong nakita niya ‘yong — ‘yong mismong Sputnik vaccine na dumating po sa atin,” Galvez reported.
-2 million Sputnik V doses per month-
President Duterte thanked the ambassador that the vaccines from Russia had finally arrived in the country.
“The volume of doses will be gradually increased every month. According to the bilateral agreement Russia is to deliver 20 mln doses by the end of this year!,” a tweet from the Russian embassy said.
Today the pilot delivery of Sputnik V (15,000 doses) arrived in the Philippines!
The volume of doses will be gradually increased every month.
According to the bilateral agreement Russia is to deliver 20 mln doses by the end of this year! pic.twitter.com/2WDLzdPB5k
— Russian Embassy in the Philippines (@RusEmbManila) May 1, 2021
Galvez said that they would working on having 2 million Sputnik V doses to be delivered every month.
“Yong Gamaleya, we are negotiating na maging 2 million siya in every month kasama na po ang May at saka po ‘yong June,” he said in his report to the President on May 3.
(Eagle News Service)
