Sputnik V, the vaccine for discord in Slovakia

In Slovakia the Russian vaccine Sputnik V is much more popular than in other countries of central and eastern Europe. However, it is impossible to obtain a dose, the National Drug Control Institute did not give the green light. Result: Hundreds of thousands of vials wait in Bratislava as the country battles one of the highest Covid-19 death rates in the world.

“I would choose the Sputnik. I would choose the Russian vaccine says Barbara Deak, a Slovak student, because of the side effects. I have heard that AstraZeneca has a lot of side effects. But I haven’t really heard any negative things about Sputnik “.

According to the study carried out by the think tank international GLOBSEC, 15% of Slovaks would choose the Russian vaccine, which is three times the average for Central and Eastern Europe.

“This positive preference is linked to Russia’s positive preference among Slovaks. 78% of the inhabitants perceive Russia as their sister nation. Many Slovaks don’t see Russia as a threat“said Katarína Klingová, researcher at the GLOBSEC Political Institute.

For this study, GLOBSEC not only surveyed the population, but also observed the online campaigns of vaccine manufacturers. His conclusion: Sputnik’s local Twitter account is a propaganda tool aimed at discrediting the Slovak authorities.

“The Russians accused our medical authorities of an act of sabotage. They claimed that the Slovak authorities had violated the Sputnik acquisition contract, which is not true.” explique Katarína Klingová.

The former Slovak Prime Minister was forced to resign at the beginning of April; involved: the purchase of two million doses of Sputnik V, while this vaccine has still not received the green light from the European Medicines Agency.

The Slovak regulator has doubts about its composition and says it is unable to determine its reliability. New tests are underway in Hungary. Their results will be decisive for the future use of this vaccine.

“A few months ago, Slovakia had one of the highest Covid-19 death rates in the world. Since then, the number of people wanting to be vaccinated has doubled. Today, most Slovaks are They are not interested in the political controversies surrounding Sputnik V, they simply want the vaccination program to be faster, “said Johannes Pleschberger, Euronews correspondent in Slovakia.

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