The Bureau of Customs-Port of NAIA has cleared the first batch of the ‘Sputnik V’ Covid-19 vaccines containing 15,000 doses which arrived via Qatar airlines from Russia on May 1, 2021.
The Sputnik V vaccine was developed by Russia-based Gamaleya Institute. Last March, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave approval to Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use.
In a brief statement, NAIA district collector, Carmelita Talusan noted that the shipment was the 9th batch of Covid-19 vaccines cleared by the bureau on arrival at the country’s premier airport since February, when the first batch of the vaccines from China arrived.
Previous vaccines cleared include 3.5 million doses of Sinovac and 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca, Talusan added.
National Task Force Against COVID 19 Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr, IATF Chair and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Marat I. Pavlov, and Usec. Robert Borje, chief of the Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs, witnessed the arrival of the vaccines.
Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero has instructed the BOC ‘CoVax Special Handling Team’ to ensure that the Covid-19 vaccine shipments are given priority, their release expedited and their delivery to their storage facilities secured thru customs underguarding.
Talusan said that to carry out Guerrero’s directive, the BOC NAIA has created a ‘One Stop Shop’ tasked to attend to all the customs processes for the vaccines’ swift release, in coordination with the IATF.