MANILA – In response to the delays in vaccine deliveries due to logistical issues, the government and vaccine experts are considering a “mix and match” method in the national Covid-19 vaccination campaign.
According to Secretary Carlito Galvez, the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF), the country’s vaccine experts panel and the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) are presently looking into the possibility of blending jabs of Russia’s Sputnik V with AstraZeneca vaccines.
Galvez, who is also the vaccine czar, stated that 15,000 doses of Sputnik V component II will be delivered as second doses.
Between Sputnik V component I and component II, vaccine experts propose a maximum dose interval of 42 days.
Likewise, Galvez stated that Sputnik V’s manufacturer, Gamaleya Research Institute, has notified them that due to logistics issues, delivery may be delayed.
“Nung nag-usap kami sa vaccine cluster kahapon, ang advice ng vaccine experts na once na mag-elapse yung 42 days pwedeng ibigay yung AstraZeneca as a second dose kasi pareho sila ng viral vector at parehong adenovirus ang ginagamit nila (We have discussed with vaccine cluster yesterday, the vaccine experts advise us that we can use AstraZeneca shot as the second dose, once the 42 days interval has elapsed since they both have the same vaccine viral vector and using adenovirus technology),” Galvez said in a media interview during the ceremonial turnover of five modular hospital units at the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the vaccine experts’ recommendation to combine two separate vaccines using the same vaccine technology platform is “safety-wise”.
The mix-and-match method, according to Duque, is applicable in vaccines that use the same viral vector technology, such as Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen–which are all mRNA Covid-19 vaccines.
He said that both AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines use an adenovirus vaccine vector.
With Duque’s approval, Galvez said the National Vaccination Operations Center, led by DOH Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, will issue a memorandum advising on vaccine mix-and-match strategy guidelines.
“Meron kaming meeting ng Sputnik V manufacturer on how we will address the issue. Nagkaroon sila ng logistic problem on Component 2 (We already met Sputnik V’s manufacturer on how we will address the issue because they had a logistical problem with the production of Component 2),” he said.
He also mentioned that the Gamaleya Research Institute is pursuing an emergency use authorization (EUA) for their single-dose Sputnik V light.
So far, the Philippines has received 350,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccine, both Component I and Component II.
