The first batch with 1,50,000 doses of Russian Sputnik V vaccine arrived in India, will be available in few days
The vaccine is in the process to clear the mandatory regulatory approval from the central drugs laboratory.
The consignment of Russian-made Sputnik V vaccines has arrived in Hyderabad from Moscow with 1,50,000 vials. According to diplomats based in Moscow and New Delhi, the flight carrying 150,000 doses of the preventive vaccine left Russian shores this morning and will be handed over to Dr Reddy’s Laboratories. Before the doses are handed over for vaccination, the Indian partner of the Russian vaccine will seek mandatory approval from the Central Drugs Laboratory, Kasauli.
Sputnik V is based on human adenoviral vectors. It is one of the few vaccines that have 90% of efficacy against coronavirus disease. It was given regulatory approval or restricted use authorisation in India on April 12. The two-dose vaccine, which has to be administered 21 days apart, has been developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and is supported by the Russian sovereign wealth fund, Russian Direct Investment Fund or RDIF.
According to officials, some five million “filled and finished” bottles of Sputnik V will arrive in a container from Russia in June and some 10 million-plus vaccines in July. New Delhi has asked Moscow for the ramped-up supply of the vaccine as it wants to vaccinate as many Indians as possible in the shortest time.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a long conversation with President Vladimir Putin in April. The diplomats based in Moscow say that the conversation was “very warm” between the two leaders with Russia standing with India in this hour of national crisis.
Over the past 24 hours, India reported a whopping 400,000 new infections, a fresh global record. The number of daily deaths topped 3,500. India’s caseload is now inching towards the 20-million mark.
