Although the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is still evaluating the Russian vaccine, Hungary, a member of the European Union (EU), has already started vaccinating the population with Sputnik V, which has been approved in 57 countries.
As the office of Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Tuesday, negotiations began on February 26 for the delivery of 300,000 doses in April, 500,000 in May and 200,000 in early June.
However, the agreement has not yet been concluded, the Chancellor’s Office pointed out.
Kurch was one of five EU leaders who urged Brussels this month to work on a “correction mechanism” to correct injustices in the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines in the bloc.
“If Austria receives an additional one million doses of the vaccine, we will normally be able to return sooner and save many lives and jobs,” Kurz said.
“When it comes to vaccines, there should be no geopolitical blindfolds. The only thing that matters is whether the vaccine is effective and safe, not where it comes from,” the chancellor explained.
This month, EZA launched the Sputnik V Accelerated Evaluation Procedure, an important step towards the eventual EU approval of the first non-Western vaccine.
Hungary has already approved Sputnik V and started using the vaccine. The Czech Republic and Slovakia have also ordered doses of Sputnik V and state that they will not wait for EU approval.
A Swiss and Italian pharmaceutical company said this month that production of the Sputnik V at its plant in Italy will begin in July.
“Sputnik V” was developed by the Russian Gamalay National Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow.
The vaccine was initially viewed with skepticism abroad, as it was approved by Russia before extensive clinical trials were completed.
However, a study published in the medical journal The Lancet in February shows that the vaccine developed in Russia is 91.6% effective.
