Duterte gets Sinopharm jab
President ‘feels good’ as sputnik vaccine begins rollout
AS the rollout of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine doses in Metro Manila began, President Rodrigo Duterte was inoculated with China’s Sinopharm vaccine.
It was Health Secretary Francisco Duque III who administered the vaccine to the president, with the event aired live on the Facebook page of Sen Christopher “Bong” Go on Monday.
“I feel good and I have been expecting this vaccination a long time ago,” Duterte said in the video.
He said it took his doctor a long time to make an assessment before recommending Sinopharm, although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to grant an emergency use authorisation on the vaccine manufactured by China National Pharmaceutical Group Corp.
But the FDA in February granted the Presidential Security Group a compassionate use permit for 10,000 doses of the vaccine.
In his press briefing on Monday, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said, “I will ask him (Duterte) if he will now consider Sputnik V.”
The president had earlier said he preferred to be vaccinated with either a Chinese or Russian vaccine.
An initial batch of 15,000 Sputnik V doses that arrived on Saturday was rolled out on Monday in Makati, Taguig, Muntinlupa, Paranaque, and Manila, which will get 3,000 doses each.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said this was the first time the country would handle ultra-cold vaccines, which require storage at -18ºC. The vaccines used in the country are stored at 2ºC to 8ºC.
“We will draw experience from this initial rollout to prepare for the 485,000 (doses) that will arrive before the end of the month,” Vergeire said.