Details of new Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine approved for use in Kenya

The Ministry of Health in Kenya as approved use of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, the Russian Embassy has confirmed.

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) on Wednesday unveiled Kenya as the 10th African nation to approve use of the vaccine and the 47th state in the world.

“With the authorization of Sputnik V in Kenya there are now 10 African nations that have registered the Russian vaccine. Sputnik V is approved in 47 countries around the world with more registrations expected in coming weeks. It is truly a vaccine for all humankind and one of the best solutions to fight the pandemic,” RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev stated.

The efficacy of Sputnik V is rated at 91.6% by the data published in the Lancet.

It is one of only three vaccines in the world with efficacy of over 90%; Sputnik V is said to provide full protection against severe cases of Covid-19.

Sputnik V uses two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination, providing immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.

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The safety, efficacy and lack of negative long-term effects of adenoviral vaccines have been proven by more than 250 clinical studies over two decades.

The developers of the Sputnik V vaccine are working collaboratively with AstraZeneca on a joint clinical trial to improve the efficacy of AstraZeneca vaccine.

According to the vaccine developers, there are no strong allergies caused by Sputnik V.

A consignment of the drug is yet to arrive in Kenya, however, President Uhuru Kenyatta flagged off the Covid-19 vaccination drive after receiving 1.02 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine.