Philippines Gets Biggest Shipment Yet of Sputnik V Vaccines

(UPDATE) The Philippines has received a total of 170,000 Sputnik V vaccines from Russia, spread over two days, as it seeks to address a shortage in jabs, authorities said.

The first shipment of 132,200 doses arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 on Friday night via Qatar Airways. This includes 82,200 component 1 or first dose jabs and 50,000 second dose jabs.

Another 37,800 component 1 or first doses of Sputnik V arrived on Saturday evening. This brought the total number of Sputnik V vaccines received by the Philippines to 350,000.

The 50,000 second dose jabs that arrived late Friday was delayed from early June due to "upgrading" of the vaccine, National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would allow a 42-day interval between doses of the Sputnik V vaccine.

The country aims to inoculate at least 70 million people this year to achieve its target of "population protection" by November.