India gets a third vaccine; Sputnik V gets emergency use authorisation from DCGI

According to Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund that enables direct investment in the Russian economy, said that India will be the main production hub for the Sputnik vaccine and that the company is looking to ramp up production to 850 million doses a year using over five domestic partners.

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine has been granted the emergency use authorisation by the Drug Controller General of India, making it the 60th nation to do so.
 

Russia's Sputnik V, the third vaccine approved for use in India, may be available for administering by April-end or early May.
 

According to Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund that enables direct investment in the Russian economy, said that India will be the main production hub for the Sputnik vaccine and that the company is looking to ramp up production to 850 million doses a year using over five domestic partners.

Here are some of the aspects of Sputnik vaccine that makes it a sought-after cure:
 

* The vaccine, which has an efficacy of over 90 per cent, is based on human adenoviral vectors, that cause common cold and have been around for thousands of years.
 

* The vaccine makers claim that Sputnik V uses two different vectors for the two shots in the course of vaccination. It thus provides immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.

* The storage temperature of Sputnik V is +2+8 C. This means it can be stored in a refrigerator and does not need any additional cold-chain infrastructure.
 

* The Sputnik vaccine can be administered to a population aged 18 and above.
 

* The Sputnik V is not known to cause any strong allergies.