CHD to Sputnik-inoculated individuals: second dose can be extended until 3 months

A health worker prepares a dose of Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination for residents in Mandaluyong on July 15, 2021. (File photo from AFP)

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Health Department (CHD) urged individuals, who were inoculated with the Russian Gamalea Sputnik vaccines to wait for the arrival of their second dose.

Recently, a shipment of 15,000 Sputnik vaccines arrived in Manila and Cebu City expects a portion of this allotment since it is among the few cities that were allotted the vaccines owing to the city’s capability to store the Russian vaccines.

Doctor Jeffrey Ibones, CHD head, said that they did not know yet how many Sputnik vaccines would they get, but whatever amount it would be, these would be allocated for the second dose of those inoculated in the past months.

“Unfortunately, naay niabot pero gamay ra. Naa kuno tay share pero wala ta kahibawo pila. Basta atoa, magwait lang ta,” he said.

(Unfortunately, there are only a few [vaccines that arrived]. We have a share but we don’t know how many. We’ll just have to wait.)

At least 5,100 individuals in the city were inoculated with Sputnik in the past months, and many of them are now due for their second dose.

However, if the doses would not be enough, Ibones said the Department of Health (DOH) said it was now looking into the possibility of inoculating another vaccine as second dose to Sputnik.

Still, Ibones urged the Sputnik-inoculated individuals not to worry because they would definitely get their second dose soon.

Furthermore, the validity of the first dose of the Sputnik vaccine will also last three months before a booster is needed to supplement the first shot.

This means, that even with a few weeks delay, Sputnik-inoculated individuals gets the maximum protection of the shot, reportedly at 80 percent efficacy.

Ibones assured that the Sputnik-inoculated individuals would get their second dose before those three months would have passed.

With this, they are encouraged to wait for a schedule for their second dose instead of going directly to the vaccination site as there may not be enough doses yet for them.

Acting Mayor Michael Rama said he would be seeking the help of Honorary Consul of Russia, Armi Lopez-Garcia, to get more vaccines.

Lopez-Garcia assured Cebuanos that she would be making representations to the Russian Ambassador to the Philippines, hoping to allocate more Sputnik vaccines to Cebu.

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