Moscow, Jan. 29, (dpa/GNA) – Russia has offered the European Union doses of its Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19 amid shortages of other coronavirus vaccines.
In the second quarter, Russia could deliver 100 million doses of Sputnik V to the EU, the state investment fund which co-finances and sells the vaccine said on Friday.
This could be used to inoculate 50 million people, as two jabs are needed for immunity.
The delivery could be ready as soon, the fund said. Some 1.5 million people have received both shots in Russia.
Sputnik V could however only be used in the EU if it is approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is pending.
According to the manufacturer, Sputnik V has been approved in 15 countries around the world, including in Hungary, which became the first EU member to approve it last week.
The vaccine’s active ingredient was the first in the world to be released for widespread use, in mid-August, although the fact that key testing had not been completed triggered international criticism.
No results of independent studies on the vaccine have been released.
GNA