In India, vaccinations with the Russian vaccine Sputnik V have started. This is reported by the Russian State Investment Fund (RDIF). On April 12, India had already approved the emergency use of the vaccine. The country is facing a devastating corona outbreak. In many states, there is a shortage of oxygen and vaccines.
According to the Russian sovereign wealth fund, the first shipment of vaccines arrived in India earlier this month. On Friday, the first injections were administered in Hyderabad, in the center of the country. A second delivery is expected to take place “by the end of the week”, it says.
“Sputnik V is the first foreign-made vaccine to be used in India,” said the RDIF. Before that, India only used vaccines from its own country, namely Covishield and Covaxin. India will become “the main production site for the vaccine,” the fund emphasizes.
Russia is said to have entered into agreements with Indian pharmaceutical companies to produce more than 850 million doses per year.
According to the RDIF, the Russian vaccine is currently authorized in 65 countries with more than 3.2 billion inhabitants. In addition, the developers have already concluded production agreements with several African countries, such as Algeria, Morocco, and many Sub Saharan states.
