MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina starts distributiing Sputnik V vaccines produced locally

“We are going to work to get as many doses as possible as soon as possible,” Vizzotti said.

Distribution of the Russian developed Sputnik V vaccine manufactured in Argentina started Thursday with the first batch of 1.14 million doses, it was reported.

The lot includes 995,125 doses of component 1 and 152,500 doses of component 2 produced locally with ingredients supplied by the Gamaleya Institute of Russia.

Last June 4, the start of production of Sputnik-V had been announced at Laboratorios Richmond, a private pharmaceutical company in Argentina, from the active principle sent from Moscow. Two months later, the Gamaleya Institute approved the first batch after a successful quality control.

“This is the first delivery of the second Sputnik component over three million doses that will be produced by Richmond Laboratories in August,” the Russian Sovereign Investment Fund said in a statement released in Moscow.

Sputnik-V requires two different components to complete its immunization formula.

“The Sputnik V vaccine is an excellent vaccine. It has had very positive results in relation to its effectiveness against the delta variant, 83% effective for infections and almost 95% for hospitalization,” Argentine Health Minister Carla Vizzotti said.

Argentina “is not going to suspend any contract with any laboratory.” Instead, “we are going to work to get as many doses as possible as soon as possible,” Vizzotti said.

Sputnik V was the first vaccine against Covid-19 to arrive in Argentina, in December 2020, but eight months later there were delays in the delivery of the second doses which are different in content from the first.

With the arrival of the Delta variant, Argentina began last week to apply as a second dose of Moderna or AstraZeneca to those who had received the first dose of Sputnik V, given the urgency of complete immunization schedules.

In the first half of the year, Argentina had prioritized vaccinating the largest number of people with the first dose and now seeks to accelerate the applications of the second dose.

In Argentina, 26.4 million people (58.6% of the population) have received at least the first dose, of which 9.3 million (20.6%) have the complete vaccination scheme. Argentina, with a population of 45 million, has so far distributed some 40.7 million Suptnik-V, Sinopharm and Astrazeneca doses, in addition to 3.5 million doses of Moderna.