Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 25) — The delay in the delivery of 50,000 doses of the Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V means some people will receive a late second shot, but that should not be a cause for worry, an expert said Friday.
“Kung ang (if the) delay is four weeks or two months, I think it is still good. It can still be a good vaccine. There will still be partial protection, based on initial data. We don’t need to worry [about] that,” Dr. Rontgene Solante of the vaccine expert panel said in an online media forum.
He said a longer gap between doses may boost the vaccine’s efficacy, as seen with AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 shot. A study published in The Lancet showed AstraZeneca vaccine’s efficacy rate rose to over 80% when the two doses were given 12 weeks apart. It was found to be around 55% efficacious when there were less than six weeks of interval before the second shot.
An analysis of Phase 3 clinical trials also published in The Lancet showed the Sputnik V vaccine had a 91.6% efficacy rate when the second dose is given 21 days after the first one.
Solante noted there is a need to reassure those scheduled to get their second doses of the vaccine that the delay is “not significant enough” to render the shots ineffective.
It is unclear when the additional Sputnik V doses will arrive.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez earlier said the late delivery stems from Russian vaccine manufacturer Gamaleya’s plan to improve its vaccine’s efficacy against new coronavirus variants.
