COVID-19: Sputnik V delay to 'fully resolve' by August end, RDIF issues statement

The Sputnik V team said on Wednesday that the earlier delay in the delivery of the vaccines will be fully resolved in August. They said in a press release, "Sputnik V team confirms that owing to a major scale-up in vaccine production capacity temporary second component delivery delays that occurred due to this production scale-up will be fully resolved in August." To keep up with the increasing demand, Sputnik V has partnered with vaccine developers in 14 different countries that will effectively double its rate of production from September.

"Sputnik V has built production partnership with producers in 14 countries and will additionally double its capacity in September thanks to our partnership with top producers including Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine producer," it added.

A recent study published by the Gamaleya Centre in Vaccines international medical journal confirmed that Sputnik V is effective against the Delta variant and is one of the most efficient vaccines against the virus. The release said, "Demand for Sputnik V worldwide remains very high due to its exceptional efficacy and safety as well as the absence of any serious side effects, which have been linked to the use of some other vaccines. In countries where Sputnik V is used as part of national vaccination campaigns, notably in Argentina and Mexico, a steady decline in COVID-19 cases is observed.”

Sputnik V and AstraZeneca's joint trial 

Sputnik V is one of the leading vaccines in vaccine combinations to find a stronger dose through heterogeneous boosting. They made an offer for a joint trial to AstraZeneca in November to use two different adenoviral vectors (Ad5 and Ad26) for two different shots. They have been conducting trials in UAEE, Azerbaijan and Argentina since February 2021 and announced promising results on July 30.

The release further said, "Sputnik V will accelerate work with other vaccine producers on the mix and match approach, which triggers a strong and longer-lasting immune response. The first component of Sputnik V (Sputnik Light) which demonstrated over 80% efficacy on its own, higher than many two-shot vaccines, will be offered to other vaccine producers as part of our mix and match strategy."

Team Sputnik V said that not a single country has canceled their contract and their demand has only been increased solely due to its safety and efficacy.

(With ANI inputs)