Sputnik V Can Be "Highly Effective" Against New Covid Strain: Co-Developer

Sputnik V, the world's first COVID-19 vaccine, will be "highly effective" against the new strain of coronavirus found in Europe, said Kirill Dmitriev, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Russian Direct Investment Fund, the company which co-developed the vaccine.

"According to our information, Sputnik V will be as highly effective against the new strain of the coronavirus found in Europe as against the existing strains. Sputnik V has been showing its efficacy over a period of time despite the previous mutations of S-protein," he said, according to Sputnik V's Twitter handle.

Mr Dmitriev added that it would jointly work with AstraZeneca, another vaccine manufacturing company, to combat the new mutation strain of the COVID-19.

"Joint work with such a pharmaceutical giant as AstraZeneca is becoming particularly important today, in light of combating the new mutating strains of the coronavirus," he said

The RDIF CEO also said that the Sputnik V has been registered for use in Belarus.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Sputnik V is over 95 per cent effective.

Taking to Twitter, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) cited Mr Putin saying that some health specialists have claimed that the vaccine's protection level reaches up to 96-97 per cent.

Russia became the first country to register the world's first COVID-19 vaccine on August 11, named after Russia's first satellite.