UAE gives nod for single-shot Sputnik Light as COVID vaccine & booster shot

The United Arab Emirates authorised the Russian-made single-shot Sputnik Light, as a stand-alone vaccine, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced on October 6. UAE authorities have also approved Sputnik Light as a booster shot. In the official release, the company stated that Sputnik Light vaccine is based on human adenovirus serotype 26, which is the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine.

UAE authorises Sputnik Light vaccine

Taking to Twitter, Sputnik V informed about the authorisation of Sputnik Light in the UAE. Moreover, they mentioned that UAE also approved Sputnik Light as a booster shot. In the official release, Sputnik V said that UAE authorities had authorised the two-dose Sputnik V in January 2021. Furthermore, they informed that both Sputnik Light and Sputnik V vaccines have been approved by the Ministry of Health and Prevention(MOHAP) of United Arab Emirates. 

Both Sputnik Light and Sputnik V vaccines have been approved by the Ministry of Health and Prevention(MOHAP) under the emergency use authorisation procedure. According to the official release, "Sputnik Light is safe and highly effective as demonstrated by real-world vaccination data in a number of countries. In the official release, it cited the data from the Ministry of Health of the Buenos Aires province (Argentina) that has shown the efficacy of 78.6-83.7 per cent among the elderly.

Besides, the official release stated that Sputnik Light has been found to be 93.5% effective during the ongoing vaccination campaign in Paraguay, according to the country’s Ministry of Health. Furthermore, the official release said that Sputnik V, the world’s first registered vaccine against coronavirus, has a heterogeneous boosting approach "vaccine cocktail" and used human adenovirus serotype 26 as the first component and human adenovirus serotype 5 as the second component. 

The release further stated that the newly approved vaccine is being studied to produce "cocktails" for immunisation and is also being used as a standalone immunity booster. Earlier in September, the Russian-made single-component Sputnik Light vaccine received the approval of the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA), announced the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). The two-dose Sputnik V vaccine was approved in Egypt in February 2021. In the official release, it is stated that both Sputnik Light and Sputnik V vaccines have been approved by the Egyptian Drug Authority(EDA) under the emergency use authorisation procedure.

Image: Twitter/@SputnikVaccine_