First Shipment Of Sputnik V To Arrive In India From Russia Today: All You Need To Know
Sputnik V is the third vaccine India has given go-ahead to after 'Covishield', developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and 'Covaxin', the indigenous vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech. Covishield is manufactured by Serum Institute of India.
As India begins the COVID-19 vaccine rollout for all adults from May 1, amid the continuing shortage of the vitals, the country is getting some much-needed relief from Russia.
The first lot of Sputnik V vaccines from Russia is set to arrive in India on Saturday.
Sputnik V is the third vaccine India has given go-ahead to after 'Covishield', developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and 'Covaxin', the indigenous vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech. Covishield is manufactured by Serum Institute of India.
Reuters
The first tranche of vaccines is expected to arrive in Hyderabad.
5 million vaccines expected by next month
Indian envoy to Russia Bala Venkatesh Varma said India expects between 150,000 to 200,000 ready-made vaccines to be available very quickly in the early part of May.
India is expecting 5 million vials of Sputnik vaccines by next month.
?? ??
¡ª Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) April 29, 2021
A longstanding and time-tested partner! Grateful for shipment of oxygen concentrators, ventilators and other medical supplies that arrived from Russia this morning in two aircrafts. pic.twitter.com/ozrla74m5k
It, however, is still unclear how early the vaccines will be made available to the general public or the cost of it.
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted permission for restricted use in emergency situations to Sputnik V vaccine on April 13. Dr. Reddy¡¯s Laboratories Ltd had applied for the grant of permission to import and market Sputnik V for emergency use authorisation. Sputnik V is Gam-COVID-Vac combined vector vaccine and is approved in 30 countries across the world.
Reuters
¡°The vaccine is indicated for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 disease in individuals of ¡İ 18 years of age. The vaccine should be administered intramuscularly in two doses of 0.5 ml each with interval of 21 days. (Day 0: Component I & Day 21: Component II). The vaccine has to be stored at -18¡ãC,¡± the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had stated in its statement.
Last month, the Narendra Modi government had fast-tracked emergency use approval for eligible foreign-produced shots.
AFP
This means that the pre-condition for foreign manufacturers to undertake phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials in India for those vaccines that have already been granted approvals by relevant regulatory bodies in the US, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan as well as by the World Health Organisation will be waived off.
Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
Read More
