Russia approves single-dose Sputnik Light coronavirus vaccine
- The developers of the slimmed-down vaccine said the jab is 79.4 per cent effective against Covid-19
- The Russian shot has been approved for use in over 60 countries
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which helped finance the vaccine, said in a statement that Sputnik Light “demonstrated 79.4 per cent efficacy” compared to 91.6 per cent for the two-shot Sputnik V.
The Russian vaccine has been approved for use in over 60 countries.
But it has not yet been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Some Western countries have been wary of Sputnik V – named after the Soviet-era satellite – over concerns the Kremlin would use it as a soft power tool to advance its interests.
Moscow registered the jab in August before large-scale clinical trials, but leading medical journal The Lancet has since said it is safe and with two doses is more than 90 per cent effective.
