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Updated December 19th, 2021 at 21:18 IST

WHO expects Russia to submit documents on Sputnik V vaccine for approval by late December

The WHO stated that the agency experts will not be able to assess the vaccine's efficacy in Russia until the documents have been received and reviewed.

Reported by: Anurag Roushan
WHO
Image: PTI/AP | Image:self
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On Sunday, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that it expects to receive the complete set of documentation on the Russian-made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine by the end of this month. WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic stated that the agency experts will not be able to assess the vaccine's efficacy in Russia until the documents have been received and reviewed, reported Sputnik. He stated that the inspection will not take place before January 2022.

In late November, the deadlines for submitting the documents were given at a meeting of representatives from the WHO and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) in Geneva, according to Jasarevic. He further stated that the UN health agency will inform the vaccine maker if an on-site inspection is required after reviewing the application and responses. Earlier in the month of October, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko stated that all obstacles to Sputnik V's WHO recognition had been removed, leaving only administrative procedures. Meanwhile, the RDIF stated that it expects to receive WHO clearance in the next few months.

Meanwhile, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that once the vaccine gets approval by the WHO, then it will also be possible to develop the talks with Europe in this direction. "I am quite sure that the WHO will acknowledge Sputnik V in a few months," he was quoted by Tass news agency as saying. It has been debated for a long time why the WHO is yet to recognise the Russian vaccine and what is behind it, "some kind of bias against us or just procedural issues," Peskov added. The Russian Sputnik V vaccine, which was registered in the country in August 2020, was the world's first legally licenced COVID-19 vaccine. As of now, it has been recognised by more than 70 countries, Tass reported.

Russia ready to supply Sputnik Light Vaccine to other countries

On Friday, December 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that his government is ready to supply the Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine to other nations to be used as booster doses in the wake of the growing concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus. Russia's Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology announced in late November that it has started working on a new version of the Sputnik vaccine that would particularly target the Omicron variant, which was first detected in South Africa, reported Sputnik.

Image: PTI/AP

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Published December 19th, 2021 at 21:17 IST

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