INDIA will start receiving Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine by end-May, its local distributor Dr. Reddy's Laboratories said on Thursday (22).
"We are targeting to have the first batches imported by (fiscal) Q1, and are trying our best to have them by end-May," a Dr. Reddy’s spokesman told Reuters.
"Sputnik is going to be made in India in a few months. We expect the India-made vaccine to start being available from the second quarter of the fiscal (year)."
India's ambassador to Moscow said last week deliveries of Sputnik V to the country were expected to begin this month, the TASS news agency reported.
India recorded the world's highest daily tally of 314,835 new Covid-19 infections on Thursday (22) as a second wave of the pandemic raised new fears about the ability of crumbling health services to cope.
In the third phase of India's immunisation drive, starting May 1, will see people above the age of 18 taking the shots.
Moreover, after import was allowed of approved Covid-19 shots, Pfizer is now in discussions with India and committed to make its vaccine available for deployment in the country, the US drugmaker said on Thursday (22).
The company said it had offered India a not-for-profit price for its vaccine for the government's immunisation programme.
