Zdelays in the supply of the second dose of the drug will be eliminated in August, and in September, the production capacity of Sputnik V abroad will be doubled. The supply problems were reported by the authorities of Guatemala and Argentina
Delays in the supply of the second component of the Russian coronavirus vaccine “Sputnik V” to foreign countries will be completely eliminated in August due to an increase in production capacity. This is stated in the statement of the manufacturers of the drug, published on the vaccine’s website.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has signed agreements with manufacturers in 14 countries, and in September production capacities will be doubled thanks to a partnership with the Serum Institute of India and other organizations.
The Russian side also said that it will accelerate work with other manufacturers on the combined use of the vaccine. Within its framework, foreign companies will be offered the first component of the V Satellite or the one-component Light Satellite.
The statement also says that the demand for the Russian vaccine in the world remains high due to the effectiveness and safety of the drug and the absence of serious side effects.
The Argentine authorities, in particular, reported on the delays in the delivery of batches of the V Satellite. In July, the newspaper La Nacion published a letter from the adviser to the President of the country, Cecilia Niccolini, to the first Deputy Director General of the RDIF, Anatoly Braverman. In it, Niccolini described the supply situation as “critical”. According to her, the authoritiesOn July 10 or 11, at least 1 million doses of the second component of the vaccine were expected to be delivered in order to vaccinate elderly Argentines. However, the letter said, the batch arrived only on July 13 and in the amount of 550 thousand doses. In total, according to the adviser, the country did not receive in July 5.5 million doses of the first component of the V Satellite and 13.1 million of the second.
In response, the RDIF said that they are actively working to continue uninterrupted supplies of the vaccine, and in September its production will increase. Presidential press Secretary Dmitry Peskov,in turn, pointed out that the priority for the Russian authorities remains to meet the demand for the vaccine from the Russians themselves, but the obligations to supply abroad will be fulfilled.
The problems with the supply of the drug were also reported by the authorities of Guatemala, the country offered to revise the terms of the contract. In April, the Ministry of Health of Guatemala agreed with Russia to supply 16 million doses of the V Satellite, the authorities paid an advance of about 6 billion rubles, which is 50% of the purchase of the entire batch. As of the end of June, only 150 thousand doses of the vaccine were delivered. Russian representatives assured that new batches of the vaccine will arrive in the republic in the near future. At the end of July, the Government of Guatemala signed a new contract with RDIF.
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