The cumulative number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered in the country has nearly reached 12 Cr today as part of the world’s largest vaccination drive
Bengaluru: India has vaccinated 12 crore people as of today (April 17). India had observed Tika Utsav – an endeavour to push more people to take vaccine.
Even as India continues to inoculate its people, it has approved the use of Sputnik-V.
it becomes the third vaccine – after Covaxin and Covishield – to be put in use if Drugs Controller General of India green-lights it.
In India, it is produced by Dr Reddy’s. OpInida adds that Dr Reddy’s is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Hyderabad, Telangana.
Here are some traits of the new vaccine:
1. It has shown an efficacy of 91.6% efficacy in its Phase 3 trials.
2. Sputnik-V is named after the world’s first satellite sent by the Soviet Union. It was developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology along with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).
3. It can be stored at a temperature of 2 to 8 degree Celsius. The website adds that the vaccine is equally efficacious across all age groups.
“Sputnik V demonstrated the same level of efficacy in all age groups. At first there were doubts that the efficacy in people aged 60 and over would be lower… but it was absolutely not,” Alexander Gintsburg, the head of the Gamaleya research institute, said, as quoted by OpIndia.
India will be getting vaccines from five additional manufacturers, reports ANI. This is expected in the 3rd quarter of this year.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.