The Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) has announced that Sputnik V, the vaccine against the Covid-19 developed by Russia's Gamaleya National Center, will be available in markets across the country from early next week.
Dr VK Paul, Member-Health of Niti Aayog said, “I’m happy to say that we’re hopeful that it’ll be available in the market next week. We’re hopeful that the sale of the limited supply that has come from there (Russia), will begin next week.”
While addressing a press briefing, Paul said “Its production will begin in July and it is estimated that 15.6 crore doses will be manufactured in that period.”
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The second batch of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine will arrive in India on May 14, he further said.
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories will manufacture the vaccine in India. Sputnik V will be the country’s third vaccine — after Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield — at a time when there is a spike in cases linked to Covid-19.
The country is also looking to produce 15.6 crore doses of the Russian Covid vaccine.
He also said that any Covid-19 vaccine that is approved by FDA, WHO can come to India. “Import license will be granted within 1-2 days. No import license is pending,” Dr VK Paul added.
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The government also said that more than 2 billion doses of vaccines against the novel coronavirus will likely be available in India between August to December this year. Those doses would include 750 million of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, produced in India by the Serum Institute of India, as well as 550 million doses of Covaxin, made by Bharat Biotech
Only three vaccines have been approved to be sold in the country — Covaxin, Coveshield and Sputnik V.
