As Corona Virus continues to wreak havoc across continents, several countries have launched vaccines with the hope to finally eradicate them. Some have already gone mask-free with zero to negligible cases.
But India is badly hit and there has been an acute shortage of indigenous vaccines – Covishield, and Covaxine. As a result, the nation has started to accept aid from other countries.
This Friday, the very first doses of Russia’s Sputnik vaccine were administered in India. Indian Pharmaceutical firm Dr. Reddy’s will further roll out the vaccines in the country becoming the largest producer of the vaccines in the world.
As the second batch of the Sputnik V landed in Hyderabad, on Sunday, Russian Ambassador to India, Nikolay Kudashev termed the Russian-Indian fight against Covid-19, as an example of the special and privileged strategic partnership and an effective model of international anti-pandemic cooperation.
Here are few important points that you may know about Sputnik V.
1. The imported doses Sputnik V will have uniform pricing for all, ₹ 995.40 including taxes. A decision on whether there will be any differences in the Made-In-India shots depending on who buys is yet to be taken.
2. The vaccines need to be stored at -18 degrees Celsius, and so they will be available in 35 cities across the country initially. Once the cold chain logistics are worked out in other locations, the shots will be available there as well. Tests are underway for keeping the vaccines between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius and if the results are favorable, a wider rollout is expected much faster.
3. The initial doses have arrived and will be given out this week. Dry runs for testing the cold chain logistics are being carried out. The production in “meaningful quantities” is expected to begin by mid-June.
4. Sputnik V has been listed as a third option on the Cowin site and Aarogya Setu app.
5. The Russian Vaccine has an efficacy of 91.6 percent. More than 2 crore people in 60 countries have received its jab. It is among the top two-three vaccines in the world.
6. Sputnik Lite is the first dose of Sputnik V. It has been approved by Russian regulators and has been found to have an efficacy of 79.4 percent. The vaccine can help provide meaningful immunogenicity to a large population in a dire situation like India. Taking the second dose will improve its efficacy to 91.6 percent.
7. The single-dose version of Sputnik V will be available in India in the coming days. Dr. Reddy’s is working closely with its Russian partner Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology for the same. It is said to cost less than a two-dose vaccine but final pricing is yet to be determined.