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Covid-19: Czechs turn to Russian vaccine amid delays

2021-02-28T18:25:31.045Z


The central European country is also considering the use of that of the Chinese laboratory Sinopharm, announced this Sunday the president Milos Zeman.


The Czech Republic, hard hit by Covid-19, has ordered a delivery of Russian vaccine Sputnik V to make up for delays in the arrival of doses from the European Union, and is also considering the use of that of the Chinese laboratory Sinopharm, said this Sunday President Milos Zeman.

Read also: Covid: could Russian and Chinese vaccines be authorized in France?

After consulting the prime minister, I sent a letter to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin, asking him for a supply of Sputnik V vaccine

,” the Czech president said on Prima TV.

"

The information coming from the Russian embassy suggests that it could arrive in the coming days,

" said the pro-Russian and pro-Chinese leader.

He added that he would also gladly accept the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine in the country - which has recorded 1.2 million cases and 20,000 deaths from Covid-19 -, believing that "

vaccines have no ideology

".

Neither the Sputnik V vaccine, nor that of the Sinopharm laboratory, received the green light from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), unlike the Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccines, used in the Czech Republic.

But Milos Zeman and Prime Minister Andrej Babis have indicated that they will not wait for this clearance.

"

All we need is a stamp from the National (Czech) Medicines Regulatory Authority

," said Andrej Babis, who visited Hungary and Serbia, the countries that use them, to learn more about these two vaccines.

Record number of infections

Sixty-five countries around the world want the Russian vaccine, including six EU countries, so why say 'My God, this is terrible!'?

", did he declare.

Believe me when I say that EU member states will also be asking for the Sputnik vaccine in a few months,

” added the populist leader who, like Milos Zeman, has already received the two injections of the Pfizer / BioNtech vaccine.

Germany said on Sunday that it would ship 15,000 doses to the Czech Republic on Monday, without specifying which vaccine it is.

Andrej Babis said the German shipment, which follows Israel's 5,000-dose Moderna vaccine and France's pledge of 100,000 doses of Pfizer / BioNTech, should contain AstraZeneca vaccines.

The Czech Republic is the first country in terms of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days and the second after neighboring Slovakia for deaths, according to an AFP count.

Vaccinations are slower than expected in this country of 10.7 million people.

Czech doctors have administered some 650,000 doses, which some politicians blame on slow European supplies.

The EU has been widely criticized for the long delivery times of the first anti-Covid vaccines.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-02-28

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