Moscow expects Sputnik V vaccine approval by WHO in first half of next year

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Ministry expects that the World Health Organization (WHO) will approve the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in first half of the next year, Director of the ministry’s Economic Cooperation Department, Dmitry Birichevsky said on Tuesday. "We have been actively helping the Russian Direct Investment Fund to promote our vaccine Sputnik V on international markets. This is constant routine work, which requires attention and cooperation with embassies. We still hope that the vaccine will be requalified by the WHO at some stage. I think it will be in the first half of next year," he said. According to the diplomat, there is "only technical paperwork left to approve the vaccine." "It means that business circles can go abroad more calmly knowing that our vaccine is approved not only by 71 countries. I hope that it will be recognized globally, and then the barriers that unfortunately exist at present will be eliminated," he added. Sputnik V was registered in Russia on August 11, 2020, becoming the first officially registered vaccine against the coronavirus worldwide. To date, the jab has been certified in 71 countries. Read more