Muntinlupa starts Sputnik V vaccination drive

Muntinlupa City began its vaccination program on Wednesday using 3,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, donated by the national government.

The city government is working with Ospital ng Muntinlupa (OsMun) and Asian Hospital and Medical Center (AHMC) in the rollout.

Vaccinations started with 380 individuals under the A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (persons with comorbidities) categories.

These doses were allocated to Muntinlupa due to its capability to store the vaccine at the required -18 degrees Celsius.

The city aims to achieve herd immunity by vaccinating 70 percent of its population.

Sputnik V, which has a 91% efficacy rate according to the Philippine FDA, received its emergency use authorization in the country on March 19.

Muntinlupa was among five cities that received 3,000 doses each from the initial batch of 15,000 Sputnik V doses that arrived in the Philippines.

The city hopes to test the feasibility of using other vaccines with special low-temperature storage requirements.