The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) yesterday announced that the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Guyana has approved the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.
An announcement is yet to be made by Guyana about this. The government here has come under increasing pressure as it is still to secure vaccines under the international COVAX arrangement.
“Countries of South America continue to demonstrate strong interest in Sputnik V and today we announce the registration of the vaccine in Guyana. Overall it is now approved in 33 countries making an important contribution to the global fight against the pandemic,” the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of RDIF Kirill Dmitrive was quoted as saying by TASS, the Russian News Agency.
According to the report, the vaccine was approved under an emergency use authorization procedure. It is unclear what this is as Guyana has been relying on World Health Organisation approvals for COVID vaccines.
Sputnik V had been approved earlier in Russia, Belarus, Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, Algeria, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan, Hungary, UAE, Iran, Republic of Guinea, Tunisia, Armenia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Mongolia, Bahrain, Montenegro, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Gabon, San-Marino, Ghana and Kyrgyzstan.
In January, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony had revealed that the government was in discussion with several countries including India, China and Russia regarding the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines. China has since pledged 20,000 doses of its Sinopharm vaccine while Barbados recently donated 3000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 kick-starting first phase of the COVID-19 vaccinations in Guyana.
Frontline workers are being vaccinated with these COVID-19 vaccines.
Meanwhile, Anthony recently disclosed that COVAX will be sending 104,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine which is expected later this month or early March. In an update last week Anthony indicated that discussions relating to COVID-19 vaccine with the other countries are being finalized.
