Heads of three German states support use of Russian Sputnik V vaccine

BERLIN, March 18. /TASS/. Minister presidents of Germany’s three federal states, namely Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia, have supported the idea of the use of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the Funke media group said on Thursday. "Trust plays a major role on such matters as healthcare, medicine, and vaccines. Russia is great country in terms of science. I have no doubts that its scientists have managed to develop an efficient vaccine," said Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer. "The vaccine should be approved." Thuringia’s Minister President Bodo Ramelow said that Germany’s dependence on the AstraZeneca vaccine makes "the vaccination campaign vulnerable." "So, it is important to finally consider the Sputnik V topic," he said, adding that politicking around the Russian vaccine is inadmissible. "When it comes to health issues, the origin of a vaccine should play no role," said Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt Reiner Haseloff. "When I was a child, I received a Russian polio vaccine and there were no problems." Germany has repeatedly said it is principally ready to use vaccines originated from outside the European Union, including Russia’s Sputnik V, if they are certified with the European regulator. Read more