Philippines approves emergency use of Russia's Sputnik Light vaccine

Sputnik Light vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Institute. (Photo: AFP/ VNA)

Manila (VNA) - Philippine authorities announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the emergency use of Russia's Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine, making it the first country in Southeast Asia to approve this single-dose vaccine.

Head of the Philippine government's vaccine distribution programme, Carlito Galvez, added that the country will order 10 million doses of the Sputnik Light vaccine. The government also expects vaccine manufacturers to increase vaccine deliveries in September and October.

Sputnik Light is the 9th vaccine approved by the Philippine authorities for emergency use, alongside vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Sinovac and Sinopharm. The Philippine government has affirmed that vaccination against COVID-19 plays a key role in economic recovery of the Southeast Asian country.

The Philippines used to be one of the fastest growing economies in Asia before the pandemic, but its GDP fell a record 9.6 percent in 2020. To date, 17.26 million out of a total of 110 million people in the Philippines have been fully vaccinated.

Sputnik Light was also licensed for emergency use by two other countries, Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) recently announced that the Sputnik Light vaccine, developed by the country's Gamaleya Institute, was effective in protecting up to 93.5 percent in trials in Paraguay./.

VNA