The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday sent 2,400 doses of Sputnik V to Ormoc City, which will serve as a pilot area for the use of the Russian-made anti-coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine in Eastern Visayas.

In a phone interview, DOH 8 (Eastern Visayas) information officer Jelyn Lopez-Malibago said Ormoc was picked by the National Task Force Against Covid-19’s vaccine cluster as a pilot area in the region.

The DOH-8 office here received the vaccines early Thursday and immediately transported them to Ormoc, some 97 km. northwest of the Tacloban Airport.

“This is the region’s first allocation of the said vaccine in support of the intensified vaccination drive in the region,” Malibago told reporters.

The first dose of Sputnik V will be administered to 2,400 pre-listed recipients. They are workers in front-line health services, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities.

In a statement, the Ormoc City government said the national task force identified the city as a recipient of this brand of vaccine due to its cold chain facility at the Superdome and the presence of an adequate vaccination team.

The DOH sent a team to Ormoc to provide technical assistance on the proper handling and preparation of vaccines, as well as assess its vaccination team, which is consistent with the guidelines of the National Vaccine Operation Center, Malibago said.

Last week, the national government sent 195 vials of the US-made Pfizer vaccine, which were administered to 1,170 individuals in Ormoc.

The city is the only local government in Eastern Visayas that has received both Pfizer and Sputnik V. Other areas in the region have received Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.

As of June 30, the city government has administered the first dose of Covid-19 vaccines to 14,842 residents and the second dose to 3,838 residents. (PNA)