Blood samples from recipients of both doses of Sputnik showed that the vaccine was 6 times less effective against the Beta variant in laboratory tests.
Swaminathan warned that it will be a chaotic situation in countries if citizens start deciding ‘when and who should be taking a second, third or fourth dose’.
Not many are taking the Sputnik V vaccine with the low numbers being blamed on Russians’ distrust of officialdom dating back to the Soviet era and doubts over the vaccine.
Pakistan has already ordered 1.2 million doses of Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, with deliveries to start 31 January. It has also given approval to AstraZeneca shot for private use.
No safety concerns identified during Sputnik V mid-stage trial, data has been submitted to Drugs Controller General of India for a review, Dr. Reddy’s says in a statement.
Russia hasn’t released late-stage phase 3 data on its vaccine. That said, what we do know about Sputnik V and its design should give us some degree of confidence.
Putin has pushed inoculation since touting Russia’s approval of Sputnik V in Aug as the globe’s first Covid shot. But many nations have been unwilling to give it fast-track approval.
Argentina joins North America, EU, UK, China and Chile in offering preventive shots. It also boosts Russia’s attempts to push the vaccine into developing nations.
I was in Islamabad when Mark Tully broke the news of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto being hanged. I held it against him—he could have tipped me off. But he was a journalist before he was a friend.
Premier David Eby, the leader of the minerals- and gas-rich province of British Columbia, spoke with executives at Tata Steel and Reliance Industries on a trade mission to India.
President Murmu has also conferred Kirti Chakra on Major Arshdeep Singh of 1 Assam Rifles for eliminating armed cadres when patrol led by him came under fire along Indo-Myanmar Border last May.
No nation other than China can negotiate one-on-one with Trump on an equal footing. That’s why the middle powers who so far formed the core of multilateral bodies now feel orphaned.
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