India is set to get 5 million doses of Russian Covid vaccine Sputnik V by June, even as the jab is set to be rolled out in the country from the 1st of May.

Sputnik V is the third vaccine India has approved after the University of Oxford- straZeneca vaccine Covisheild and Covaxin, the Indian vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech.

Announcing the development, the Indian envoy to Russia Bala Venkatesh Varma said, "We expect between 150,000 to 200,000 ready-made vaccines to be available very quickly in the early part of May. But this will be increased by middle and the latter part of May and perhaps by May itself total Sputnik V Numbers will be probably more than 3 million."

"So, it's a very substantial number. This will steadily increase to 5 million on June, 10 million, correspondingly we wish to take it forward."

Gamaleya Research Institute, which developed the vaccine, has in a recent study said that the jab is effective against mutant forms of the virus.

The arrival of the Sputnik V vaccine coincides with India opening up vaccination for the entire adult population from the 1st of May.

Envoy Venkatesh said Sputnik V "will be providing a contribution to India's vaccination efforts" and "as the scale of vaccination increase in India, its manufacturing will happen".

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the country's&nbsp;sovereign wealth fund which&nbsp; funded the vaccine, has signed a pact with five Indian companies to produce 850 million doses of the vaccine.&nbsp;The production begins in May.

The India-produced Russian vaccine will not only be used in India and Russia but will also be exported to third countries.

The envoy highlighted, "We expect, in the months ahead, more than 60-70 % of Sputnik vaccine produced anywhere will be produced in India".

RDIF is in talks with Indian regulators to do a combination of vaccines like&nbsp;AstraZeneca followed by Sputnik V.

The Indian envoy said that while it has not been approved as yet, if that "combination is possible, then that is an additional benefit".

Russia is also expected to announce Sputnik Lite.

Russia extended support to India earlier this week by sending 22 tonnes of grant assistance to deal with the ongoing Covid crisis.

The assistance included 20 oxygen production units, 75 lung ventilators, 150 medical monitors, and 200,000 packs of medicines.

Russian Emergencies Ministry had sent two Il-76 aircraft with supplies, which envoy Venkatesh said "is extremely valued".

This assistance "will live in our memory as one more standing testimony of very close friendship" between India and Russia, he said.

Asked about any travel ban between the two countries amid the Covid crisis in India, the envoy said at present, there is no plan for restricting air travel&nbsp;between India and Russia.

Two flights are being run by Aeroflot and two by Air India between both the countries even as Moscow authorities have taken additional precautions including conducting additional test from travellers coming from India.

Several countries have imposed restrictions on travellers from India due to the Covid crisis.

India is set to get 5 million doses of Russian Covid vaccine Sputnik V by June, even as the jab is set to be rolled out in the country from the 1st of May. Sputnik V is the third vaccine India has approved after the University of Oxford- straZeneca vaccine Covisheild and Covaxin, the Indian vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech.

India is set to get 5 million doses of Russian Covid vaccine Sputnik V by June, even as the jab is set to be rolled out in the country from the 1st of May. Sputnik V is the third vaccine India has approved after the University of Oxford- straZeneca vaccine Covisheild and Covaxin, the Indian vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech. Announcing the development, the Indian envoy to Russia Bala Venkatesh Varma said, "We expect between 150,000 to 200,000 ready-made vaccines to be available very quickly in the early part of May. But this will be increased by middle and the latter part of May and perhaps by May itself total Sputnik V Numbers will be probably more than 3 million." "So, it's a very substantial number. This will steadily increase to 5 million on June, 10 million, correspondingly we wish to take it forward." Gamaleya Research Institute, which developed the vaccine, has in a recent study said that the jab is effective against mutant forms of the virus. The arrival of the Sputnik V vaccine coincides with India opening up vaccination for the entire adult population from the 1st of May. Envoy Venkatesh said Sputnik V "will be providing a contribution to India's vaccination efforts" and "as the scale of vaccination increase in India, its manufacturing will happen". Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the country's sovereign wealth fund which funded the vaccine, has signed a pact with five Indian companies to produce 850 million doses of the vaccine. The production begins in May. The India-produced Russian vaccine will not only be used in India and Russia but will also be exported to third countries. The envoy highlighted, "We expect, in the months ahead, more than 60-70 % of Sputnik vaccine produced anywhere will be produced in India". RDIF is in talks with Indian regulators to do a combination of vaccines like AstraZeneca followed by Sputnik V. The Indian envoy said that while it has not been approved as yet, if that "combination is possible, then that is an additional benefit". Russia is also expected to announce Sputnik Lite. Russia extended support to India earlier this week by sending 22 tonnes of grant assistance to deal with the ongoing Covid crisis. The assistance included 20 oxygen production units, 75 lung ventilators, 150 medical monitors, and 200,000 packs of medicines. Russian Emergencies Ministry had sent two Il-76 aircraft with supplies, which envoy Venkatesh said "is extremely valued". This assistance "will live in our memory as one more standing testimony of very close friendship" between India and Russia, he said. Asked about any travel ban between the two countries amid the Covid crisis in India, the envoy said at present, there is no plan for restricting air travel between India and Russia. Two flights are being run by Aeroflot and two by Air India between both the countries even as Moscow authorities have taken additional precautions including conducting additional test from travellers coming from India. Several countries have imposed restrictions on travellers from India due to the Covid crisis.

5 million doses of Russian Covid vaccine Sputnik V in India by June, says Indian envoy to Russia Venkatesh Varma

Tainted batches of Russia's Sputnik V Covid vaccine sent to Brazil carried a live version of a common cold-causing virus, the South American country's health regulator reported in a presentation explaining its decision to ban the drug's import.

Top virologist Angela Rasmussen told AFP the finding "raises questions about the integrity of the manufacturing processes" and could be a safety issue for people with weaker immune systems if the problem was found to be widespread.

Russia's Gamaleya Institute, which developed the vaccine, has denied the reports.

The issue centres around an "adenovirus vector" -- a virus that normally causes mild respiratory illness but in vaccines is genetically modified so that it cannot replicate, and edited to carry the DNA instructions for human cells to develop the spike protein of the coronavirus.

This in turn trains the human system to be prepared in case it then encounters the real coronavirus.

The Sputnik V vaccine uses two different adenovirus vectors to accomplish this task: adenovirus type 26 (Ad26) for the first shot, and adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) for the second shot.

According to a slideshow uploaded online, scientists at Anvisa, Brazil's regulator, said they tested samples of the booster shot and found it was "replication-competent" -- meaning that once inside the body, the adenovirus can continue to multiply.

They added that this had likely occurred because of a manufacturing problem called "recombination," in which the modified adenovirus had gained back the genes it needed to replicate while it was being grown inside engineered human cells in a lab.

Brazilian regulators did not evaluate the first shot.

 
Rasmussen, a research scientist at Canada's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, described the error as a quality control issue, rather than a problem inherent to the technology.&nbsp;

If batches used in the real world were tainted, then "for most people this probably won't be a big deal because adenoviruses are generally not thought of as really important human pathogens," she said.

"But in people who are immune-compromised... there could be a higher rate of adverse effects because of it, including potentially serious ones."

The bigger problem, she added, was the unfortunate impact on confidence over a vaccine that a study in The Lancet journal showed was safe and more than 90 per cent effective.

If people aren't sure that the vaccine they are receiving is the same that was studied in trials, then "I can imagine that some people might have their reservations about getting that vaccine at all," said Rasmussen.

Another unknown is whether the manufacturing problem that led to the adenovirus vector being able to replicate also knocks out the DNA code for the spike protein -- rendering the shot ineffective as a coronavirus vaccine.

Denis Logunov, deputy director of the Gamaleya Institute, has responded by saying "The statements I have read in the press have nothing to do with reality" and that the adenovirus vector was not able to replicate.

Tainted batches of Russia's Sputnik V Covid vaccine sent to Brazil carried a live version of a common cold-causing virus, the South American country's health regulator reported in a presentation explaining its decision to ban the drug's import.

Tainted batches of Russia's Sputnik V Covid vaccine sent to Brazil carried a live version of a common cold-causing virus, the South American country's health regulator reported in a presentation explaining its decision to ban the drug's import. Top virologist Angela Rasmussen told AFP the finding "raises questions about the integrity of the manufacturing processes" and could be a safety issue for people with weaker immune systems if the problem was found to be widespread. Russia's Gamaleya Institute, which developed the vaccine, has denied the reports. The issue centres around an "adenovirus vector" -- a virus that normally causes mild respiratory illness but in vaccines is genetically modified so that it cannot replicate, and edited to carry the DNA instructions for human cells to develop the spike protein of the coronavirus. This in turn trains the human system to be prepared in case it then encounters the real coronavirus. The Sputnik V vaccine uses two different adenovirus vectors to accomplish this task: adenovirus type 26 (Ad26) for the first shot, and adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) for the second shot. According to a slideshow uploaded online, scientists at Anvisa, Brazil's regulator, said they tested samples of the booster shot and found it was "replication-competent" -- meaning that once inside the body, the adenovirus can continue to multiply. They added that this had likely occurred because of a manufacturing problem called "recombination," in which the modified adenovirus had gained back the genes it needed to replicate while it was being grown inside engineered human cells in a lab. Brazilian regulators did not evaluate the first shot. Rasmussen, a research scientist at Canada's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, described the error as a quality control issue, rather than a problem inherent to the technology. If batches used in the real world were tainted, then "for most people this probably won't be a big deal because adenoviruses are generally not thought of as really important human pathogens," she said. "But in people who are immune-compromised... there could be a higher rate of adverse effects because of it, including potentially serious ones." The bigger problem, she added, was the unfortunate impact on confidence over a vaccine that a study in The Lancet journal showed was safe and more than 90 per cent effective. If people aren't sure that the vaccine they are receiving is the same that was studied in trials, then "I can imagine that some people might have their reservations about getting that vaccine at all," said Rasmussen. Another unknown is whether the manufacturing problem that led to the adenovirus vector being able to replicate also knocks out the DNA code for the spike protein -- rendering the shot ineffective as a coronavirus vaccine. Denis Logunov, deputy director of the Gamaleya Institute, has responded by saying "The statements I have read in the press have nothing to do with reality" and that the adenovirus vector was not able to replicate.

Brazil says Russian Covid vaccine carried live cold virus

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5 million doses of Russian Covid vaccine Sputnik V in India by June, says Indian envoy to Russia Venkatesh Varma

Brazil says Russian Covid vaccine carried live cold virus