Sputnik V vaccines arrive in Manila after delay

Russian-made Sputnik V vaccines arrived in Manila on Saturday afternoon after a delay.

The first batch of 15,000 doses was delivered by Qatar Airways flight QR932 from Moscow via Doha and will be distributed to Taguig, Manila, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, and Makati.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III stated the government plans to roll out the vaccines in these areas as early as next week.

The delivery was initially scheduled for April 28 but was postponed due to lack of direct flights from Moscow to Manila.

This mini-rollout aims to prepare implementing units for handling Sputnik V's cold-chain requirements and logistics, with a larger batch of 485,000 doses expected in May.