Sputnik V roll out delayed in Delhi

The rollout of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V at Indraprastha Apollo and Madhukar Rainbow Children's Hospital in Delhi has been delayed for some days, officials said on Sunday.

A spokesperson of Apollo Hospitals said the facility in Delhi will tentatively start administering the two-dose vaccine by June 25.

An official had earlier said the hospital would start giving Sputnik V jabs by June 20.

According to an official of Madhukar Rainbow Children's Hospital, there is a delay on the part of the suppliers.

''We are expecting (roll-out) next week,'' he said.

Fortis Healthcare, which had said it would make Sputnik V available at its Gurgaon and Mohali hospitals from Saturday, also has not started administering the Russian vaccine so far.

''The rollout did not happen on Saturday. We expect there will be some clarity on Monday,'' an official said.

The Centre has fixed the price of the vaccine at Rs 1,145 per dose. The maximum price of Covishield for private COVID-19 Vaccination Centres (CVCs) has been fixed at Rs 780 per dose, while that of Covaxin is Rs 1,410 per dose.

Russia's Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology has developed Sputnik V and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is marketing it globally.

Hyderabad-based Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, the marketing partner for the vaccine in the country, has been importing the shots from Russia. Over a period of time, the vaccine is also going to be manufactured in India. Sputnik V uses two different viruses that cause the common cold (adenovirus) in humans. It employs a different vector for each of the two shots, given 21 days apart.

According to Gamaleya and the RDIF, Sputnik V has demonstrated an efficacy rate of 92 percent.