PH looks to donate 2M Sputnik V COVID vaccines to Myanmar

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines< June 22) — The country is looking to donate around 2 million Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines to Myanmar, the Department of Health said Wednesday, targeting the delivery date for either the end of June or early July.

"We are awaiting for the concurrence of the government of Myanmar kasi ang pagbibigyan natin ay Red Cross ng Myanmar," DOH Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said at the Laging Handa briefing.

[Translation: We are awaiting for the concurrence of the government of Myanmar because we will give these to the Red Cross of Myanmar.]

The government first mentioned donating vaccines to other countries in March, with DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said near-expiry and unused vaccines would be given to places with low vaccine coverage. Apart from Myanmar, he mentioned Cambodia and some countries in Africa as potential recipients.

In May, some five million expiring doses of Sputnik V vaccines were eyed to be donated.

Cabotaje said the country has enough vaccine supply.

"At the rate we're going, hanggang end of the year — and may mga dadating by end of the year na COVAX donation — so hindi bibili ang gobyerno ng bagong mga vaccine unless magopen yung below five years old and may special formulation," she said.

[Translaton: At the rate we're going, until the end of the year — and COVAX donations will be arriving by the end of the year — so the government will not need to buy vaccines unless those below five years old will be allowed and that's a special formulation.]

On Monday, the DOH said that as of June 19 over 70 million people — 77.81% of the target population — have been fully vaccinated, while 14.8 million individuals have received booster shots.