Russia puts its Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus into world orbit

Russia aims to vaccinate more than two million of its citizens with Sputnik V against the coronavirus before the end of the year.

And up.

The Eurasian country has high hopes for the drug, a mainstay of the national response to the pandemic, but with which it also hopes to bring Russian science back to the forefront.

And that includes selling its main vaccine to dozens of countries, which translates into a major geopolitical influence effort.

Sputnik V competes with China and large Western laboratories, but also with suspicion and criticism from citizens and experts for the speed of its tests and lack of transparency.

For Kirill Dmitriev, director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), these doubts about the injection are nothing more than "ignorance", prejudices and "misinformation" sown by competitors.

"There is an effort by competitors to try to undermine the Russian vaccine, although not only is it not working, but it is making it more famous," remarks Dmitriev, who at 45, educated at Harvard and Stanford, leads the powerful fund of sovereign wealth of Russia, which has a reserve capital of about 10 billion dollars from savings in the good years of oil.

It is the entity that finances the vaccine and leads the international negotiation of agreements.

"They apply a double standard for geopolitical competition against Russia," asserts the manager in an interview by Zoom, in which he insists that the international developers of the drug should cooperate.

The British AstraZeneca has already picked up the glove of the proposal made by Russia in November and has announced an investigation to test the combination of its drug with the main Russian vaccine, based on adenovirus of the common cold and with two vaccination vectors.

Sputnik V, developed by the Gamaleya Institute (public), was the first vaccine to be registered in the world.

Its name, which refers to the first satellite to launch into space and with which the USSR overtook the United States in the space race, and the announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin, already give the idea of ​​the importance for Moscow of leading the sprint enrollment, trials, and vaccination initiation to outperform the West.

Russia, which began the widespread vaccination campaign on Monday, has also deployed its machinery to publicize Sputnik V around the world.

The RDIF, which does not disclose how much it has invested in the development of the vaccine although it assures that "less" than the others, affirms that it has received requests from more than 50 countries for 1.2 million doses, still pending approval from their respective regulatory bodies.

With a special focus on Latin America, where Russia cultivates more and more interests.

The main Russian vaccine has put a major pike in the region.

"I will be the first to get the [Sputnik V] vaccine, I will do it before anyone else so that no one is afraid of it," Argentine President Alberto Fernández said Thursday.

He was preceded in that gesture by the Mexican Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro.

Millions of vaccines for America

Russia has reached an agreement to supply Mexico with 31 million doses of Sputnik V. With the Argentine government to send 10 million before the end of the year and the option of another five at the beginning of next year.

Also with the Brazilian State of Bahia for 50 million vaccines, according to figures from the Russian sovereign wealth fund.

The lots will begin delivery in January and are expected to fulfill all orders in March, says Dmitriev.

The RDIF also has agreements for a number yet to be determined with Venezuela and the Brazilian state of Paraná;

in addition to the forecast to supply the main Russian vaccine to India (200 million doses), South Korea (150 million doses per year) or Egypt (25 million doses).

Russia, which has very good relations with the government of the ultra-conservative Hungarian Víktor Orban - which has been against sanctions on the Eurasian country for annexing Crimea - has also agreed to supply the drug to its Eastern European ally.

The pact represents a symbolic entry of Sputnik V into the EU.

A small victory for Moscow.

Sputnik's export map gives an idea of ​​Russia's diplomatic relations and its position on the world geopolitical board.

Although Dmitriev maintains that for Moscow this is not about politics.

“It's actually a very simple story.

We are working very hard to save our people, people throughout Latin America and throughout the world, ”he defends.

Sputnik V, the first vaccine to receive approval for emergency use and about to conclude the last phase of its clinical trials, is often compared on Russian state television to the famous Kalashnikov assault rifle, "simple but reliable". They have said.

Sputnik V is 92% efficient, according to preliminary data released by the Gamaleya Institute.

Although Russia has not yet published its research.

Dmitriev assures that they will do it soon, like the rest of the vaccines in the first line.

They hope to submit their data for peer review "this month."

Due to a lack of transparency, mistrust towards the authorities or fatigue, the truth is that 54% of the Russian population would not wear it even if it was free, according to a survey at the end of September by the independent Russian center Levada.

Although polls elsewhere show that citizens of other countries are not too convinced by other immunizations against the coronavirus.

In the summer, senior Russian officials got the vaccine, also one of President Vladimir Putin's daughters.

Dmitriev assures that they have also supplied the drug to "several ambassadors of EU countries in Russia" and that a delegation from France and a producer from Germany have shown great interest in Sputnik V. The vaccine, however, has collided with the production challenge, for which they have also reached agreements with different countries.

“Some try to turn this into a political issue, but in the end it is about efficiency, safety, logistics and price.

And the Russian vaccine is safe;

its price is less than 10 dollars for each of the two doses, three times cheaper than that of Pfizer and Moderna;

and it can be lyophilized, which offers a great advantage and logistical appeal for many countries, also in America, because it eliminates the need for transport at ultra-low temperatures ”, assures the manager.

Nor can we forget the factor of supply and demand and the diplomatic and economic strength of States to bid for the precious and limited drugs in a global market.

The EU, for example, bids for a joint and proportional purchase.

Information about the coronavirus

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