Giving a boost to the Indian vaccination campaign, the second batch of Sputnik V arrived in Hyderabad on Sunday morning. This lot arrives just two days after India began inoculating people with Sputnik V from the first batch of 1,50,000 doses that had arrived on May 1.
India had granted emergency approval to Sputnik V on April 12 this year after the number of coronavirus cases from the second wave began to climb. Sputnik becomes the third vaccine to be administered in India after Bharat Biotech’s home-made Covaxin and Astra Zeneca's Covishield.
Reacting to a video by Sputnik, showing the unloading of the second lot of vaccines in Hyderabad, Russian ambassador to India, Nikolay Kudashev tweeted: "Given the recent launch of the Russian vaccine in the Indian vaccination campaign, this second delivery has become very timely. The efficacy of the #SputnikV is well-known in the world."
Given the recent launch of the Russian vaccine in the Indian vaccination campaign, this second delivery has become very timely. The efficacy of the #SputnikV is well-known in the world. https://t.co/AcqoxHERBc
— Nikolay Kudashev 🇷🇺 (@NKudashev) May 16, 2021
Sputnik V has strengthened relations between the two traditional allies. Kudashev highlighted the vaccine partnership between India and Russia as an effective model of international anti-pandemic cooperation. In another tweet, the Russian ambassador said: “We interact closely in the field of medical science, including w/ regard to new #COVID19 strains, maintain active, non-politicized dialogue in the framework of WHO, G20, BRICS. Life-saving humanitarian assistance delivered last month by the Russian side is being successfully used”.
Developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Sputnik V is marketed globally by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Russia had begun to give the Sputnik jabs to its people in December 2020 itself.
"Today is a historical day for #India 🇮🇳 and #Russia 🇷🇺 Russia is standing together with India in this fight against COVID-19" – RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev on the start of #SputnikV vaccination in India pic.twitter.com/NLDhnQe78c
— Sputnik V (@sputnikvaccine) May 14, 2021
Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) is rolling out the imported Sputnik V vaccines in India. It also plans to produce Sputnik V locally in the next few months. The Indian company is likely to produce up to 850 million doses of Sputnik V annually. DRL also plans to seek the Indian regulator's approval for allowing Gamaleya's other vaccine called Sputnik Light, which is a single-dose vaccine against covid-19.
Russia is looking at India becoming a major hub for the production of Sputnik vaccines. The Indian embassy in Russia tweeted a video of Kirill Dmitriev, RDIF CEO, on the launch of Sputnik V vaccination in India. Dmitriev said: "Today is a historical day for #India and #Russia… Russia is standing together with India in this fight against COVID-19".
