As the battle against COVID-19 continues, Russia had made their COVID-19 vaccine called ‘Sputnik V’ which is made available for free in recent days to medical workers, social-service employees, and teachers younger than 61 in Moscow.
In August, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia is the first country in the world to have a vaccine against COVID-19 but critics were quick to say that the drug has not been properly tested and didn’t go through proper medical trial and approval for it to be safe to use. He then said that the vaccine worked effectively enough since it was a public health emergency.
In a Malacañang briefing last November 16, Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos Sorreta shared that Russia is ready to supply the vaccine to the Philippines. “They can start producing for us – they have to produce it as it is ordered – as early as January if we are ready to accept it”.
Philippine law requires regulatory approvals before it can be safely distributed in the Philippines. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the process will take at least 45 days to undergo approval process.
According to reports, the ‘Sputnik V’ has a 92% efficacy which is higher than Pfizer’s vaccine in the US which has a 90% efficacy.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque revealed that the government is communicating with Russia, China, and the US to see which vaccine will best fit the needs of the country with the quality, price and availability.
In August, President Rodrigo Duterte shared his joy when Russia had offered the vaccine to the Philippines. He was confident about the vaccine’s efficacy and offered to be injected with the vaccine in public to relieve the public’s fear.
