Russia’s satellite V-type coronavirus vaccine arrived in Argentina for the first time in December 2020, and is expected to provide relief to Latin American countries that are low on the waiting list for vaccines developed and approved in the West.
The vaccine has not yet been approved by the United Nations and has since been adopted by more than a dozen countries in the region-but eight months later, a severe shortage of the second dose has put heavy pressure on governments with limited alternatives.
Vaccination of Sputnik V produced by the Russian Institute Gamaleya requires two different doses and cannot be interchanged or mixed with other vaccines.
Noreyda Hernandez, a 66-year-old teacher, told AFP after being disappointed at a vaccination center in Maracaibo, Venezuela, “I feel betrayed. This is a scam.” The center does not vaccinate people who need it.
There is a similar scenario in Bolivia, where elderly people arrive at the clinic and find that they are notified that the second dose has been “postponed until further notice.”
“We are tired, and we keep coming back, with the same answer every time:’The government must say.’ But if the government doesn’t know anything, what else can it say?” Alarcon, a 70-year-old German in La Paz Tell AFP.
Russia registered Sputnik V before a large-scale clinical trial in August last year, which caused experts to worry about the fast-tracking process.
‘Still waiting’
Since then, the vaccine was declared safe and more than 90% effective in a report published by the leading medical journal “The Lancet”, restoring people’s confidence in the Russian jab.
The problem now is production.
The Latin American countries that chose satellites-many of which started with vaccinating the elderly, health workers, and other high-risk groups-have decided to extend the waiting period between the first and second doses from a minimum of 21 days Up to 90 days. .
Nevertheless, it is not enough.
“I received the satellite vaccine on April 21 and I am still waiting for the second dose,” 72-year-old Josefina Bermudez said in Buenos Aires.
She finds it ironic that her 25-year-old grandson is not in the priority category, but has received two injections from him-China’s Sinopharm.
The Argentine president and his deputy accepted the satellite in a public expression of trust and threatened to cancel the contract with Russia last month.
According to the government, this country with a population of 45 million has signed an agreement for 30 million satellite V doses, of which it received less than half.
Argentina has been studying whether it is possible to replace the second dose of Sputnik V with another vaccine later added to its arsenal-AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Moderna.
The first results on Wednesday (August 4) showed that the AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines are effective, so these vaccines will be provided to people waiting for the second satellite jab.
Health Minister Carla Vizzotti said that there is no conclusion about the use of the Sinopharm vaccine as a test for the second vaccination.
In addition, Guatemala announced the cancellation of the purchase of 8 million Sputnik 5 agents.
to be solved
The manufacturer of the vaccine, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), has pledged to resolve the delivery delays this month.
The company said in a statement that the delay was due to “expansion of production scale” and will be “completely resolved” in August, adding that due to the cooperation with the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, the serum research institute, the production capacity in September Will “double” India’s.
Regarding Guatemala, RDIF stated that the contract was only “adjusted to the new delivery schedule”.
RDIF has signed production agreements with more than a dozen countries, including major manufacturer India, which is expected to produce hundreds of millions of doses each year.
RDIF said on Tuesday that the Richmond Laboratory in Argentina will provide the country with more than 3 million locally produced second components of the satellite V in August. After successfully completing quality control, there are already the first 150,000 units this week. Piece.
Mexico has also started local production, and the national laboratory Birmex told AFP that it hopes to obtain Russia’s approval for the trial operation within a few days.
Mexican products will initially be used locally, but can later be exported to other countries in the region.
RDIF stated that its two-dose vaccine has been approved in 68 countries, accounting for nearly half of the global population. It has applied for registration in the European Union.
In Latin America, it is also approved for use in Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Honduras and some Caribbean countries.
