Russia is all set to introduce its single-dose ‘Sputnik Lite’ Covid-19 vaccine in India soon, Russian ambassador Nikolay Kudashev said in New Delhi on Sunday.
Kudashev said that Russia expects to increase the production of its Sputnik V vaccine in India to 850 million doses per year, along with introducing a single-dose version of the coronavirus vaccine—Sputnik Lite.
According to Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Sputnik Lite solves the challenge of immunising large groups in a shorter time, especially important during the acute phase of the spread of coronavirus. Dmitriev added that the vaccine would be produced by its partners in India, China and South Korea. Sputnik Lite will be priced at less than $10.
Russian ambassador Nikolay Kudashev shared the picture of the second consignment Sputnik V which arrived in Hyderabad on May 16, on Twitter. "A second batch of Sputnik V has landed in Hyderabad today! We are very happy to see that the #RussiaIndia joint fight against #COVID19, which is one of the vital areas of our bilateral cooperation nowadays, has firmly stood on rails and moving forward," he tweeted.
The Russian Ambassador said that the efficacy of Sputnik V was well-known in world. In Russia, he said, it was being successfully used to vaccinate citizens since the second half of 2020.
"Russian specialists have declared it is also effective against new COVID19 strains," he added.
