Russia says its Sputnik V shot around 83pc effective against Delta variant


Reuters | Published: August 11, 2021 14:18:50 | Updated: August 13, 2021 22:30:51


A nurse prepares Russia's "Sputnik-V" vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) for inoculation at a clinic in Tver, Russia on October 12, 2020 — Reuters/Files

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19 is around 83 per cent effective against the Delta variant of coronavirus, lower than previously thought, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Wednesday.

Authorities blamed a surge in coronavirus cases in June and July on the more contagious Delta variant and the population's reluctance to get vaccinated despite shots being widely available.

The vaccine's developers in June said Sputnik V was around 90 per cent effective against the Delta variant.

"The latest results show that effectiveness is around 83%," the TASS news agency cited Murashko as saying.

Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya Institute which developed the vaccine, said on Wednesday in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper that Sputnik V was safe and effective against all strains of the coronavirus.

Russia, which has a population of around 144 million, has approved four domestically produced vaccines. It has recorded almost 6.5 million infections since the start of the pandemic.

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