All About COVID-19 Sputnik Vaccine
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India is currently operating one of the biggest vaccination drives of the world against the COVID-19 pandemic. Till now, two vaccines were being given out, the Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and the Covishield by the Serum Institute of India. A third vaccine, the Sputnik V by Russia has now been approved for emergency use. It will be distributed by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories in India.
Who Developed the Sputnik V?
The Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine was developed by Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of Moscow. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted this vaccine emergency restricted use in India. It will be distributed by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories for now although other distributing enterprises are soon to start distributing it too.
Storage of the Sputnik V
One of the biggest advantages of the Sputnik V vaccine is that it can be easily stored. The storage temperature of the Sputnik V is between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. This is an achievable temperature in regular refrigerators and does not require a high-grade cooling unit. Not only does this make it easy to transport, but also cheaper and easier to store.
Efficacy and Administration of the Sputnik V
According to the Lancet, an established and top medical journal, the efficacy of the Sputnik V has been 91.6% in the third phase of the clinical trials. This is much higher than both the Covaxin and the Covishield vaccines. Sputnik V is an intramuscular vaccine that is to be administered in two days with 21 days in between.
How the Sputnik V Works?
Sputnik V is a viral vector vaccine that uses an adenovirus strain. It uses this virus with the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This is a technique that prevents the coronavirus from replicating inside the body while training the immune system against the live coronavirus at the same time. Sputnik V also uses two different formulas for its first and second dose which is said to increase its efficacy. Many countries have approved of Sputnik V till now and the feedback so far has been quite good.
Efficacy of Sputnik V Vaccine Against Mutations of the Coronavirus
With the increase in the mutations of the coronavirus, there has been a rise in concern about the efficacy of the vaccines against the new variants. There have been multiple variants of the coronavirus like the UK strain and South African strain. Nevertheless, according to Russian trials, Sputnik V has been showing promising results even against the new variants. It is very effective against the UK strain but is considerably less effective against the South African strain.
Price of the Sputnik V Vaccine
The imported doses of the Sputnik V vaccine will cost 995 INR. However, once the production of the vaccine starts in India, it may cost less.
Endnotes
With the coming of Sputnik V, the vaccination drive can be greatly amplified in India. The recent vaccine crisis in India can also hopefully be controlled with the introduction of this new vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccines are our only hope against the coronavirus pandemic right now. The vaccines have been found to significantly reduce the transmissibility and severity of the virus as well as decrease the chances of death from COVID-19. Therefore, it is important to complete your vaccination against COVID-19 as soon as possible.
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Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.
