Russia expects to produce 5m doses of COVID-19 vaccine monthly – Institute

Russia may be able to produce five million doses of its new COVID-19 vaccine monthly by December, the Director of the Gamaleya Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Alexander Gintsburg, said on Wednesday.

The Russian Health Ministry on Tuesday became the first national health authority in the world to register a coronavirus vaccine.

“We expect them [manufacturers] to reach the target capacity by December or January. The target is about five million doses per month, and perhaps more,” Mr Gintsburg said at a news conference.

Similarly, Andrei Savenkov-Rossotrudnichestvo, a Russian state agency responsible for the promotion of humanitarian cooperation, is interested in showcasing Russia’s vaccine against COVID-19 to the foreign community, Yevgeny Primakov, the new head of the agency, said.

The vaccine, named Sputnik V, was developed jointly by the Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian Defence Ministry.

“This is one of the most important stories that we can export because we have surprised the world with a low death rate.

“And thanks to our high-quality healthcare and the fact that we have vaccines, not even just one, is already our strong side.

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“Let the various tests, licensing, certification and approval end, and I would like through the Rossotrudnichestvo network, to present this vaccine to the world and show its effectiveness,” Mr Primakov said.

Rossotrudnichestvo currently has 97 offices in 80 countries across the globe.

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO, Kirill Dmitriev, has said that Moscow has already received preliminary requests for one billion doses of its vaccine against COVID-19 from more than 20 countries.

(Sputnik/NAN)