4th African Country Authorizes the Sputnik V Vaccine

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced the Russian Sputnik V vaccine registration against coronavirus by the Ministry of Health of the Gabonese Republic on February 17, 2021. The Sputnik V vaccine was approved under the emergency use authorization procedure.

Gabon, located in western-central Africa, became the 4th African country to register Sputnik V.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the RDIF, said in a press release, “Sputnik V will be an important part of the national vaccine portfolio of Gabon thanks to the (vaccine's) efficacy of over 90%, safety, proven platform, easy distribution, and several other advantages.”

The Sputnik V vaccine is based on human adenoviral vectors, which cause the common cold and have been around for thousands of years. This COVID-19 vaccine uses two different vectors for the two vaccinations, providing longer immunity protection.

The Sputnik V vaccine developers are working collaboratively with the UK-based AstraZeneca on a joint clinical trial to improve the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine's efficacy.