Karaca, Oct 16 (BUS): Esperita García de Perez received its first vaccination against COVID-19 in May. The Associated Press (AP) reports that, along with her Catholic faith, made her feel better protected from the virus, and she was hoping to get her second shot of the Russian-developed Sputnik V vaccine a few weeks later.
But the 88-year-old is still waiting. She contracted the virus last month, and now her hopes of survival depend on the combination of medications and home care she receives.
Millions in developing nations from Latin America to the Middle East are also waiting for more doses of Sputnik V after industrialization and other problems left huge gaps in vaccination campaigns. One company estimates that Russia has only exported 4.8% of the 1 billion doses it promised.
The head of the Russian state-controlled fund that invested in the vaccine insisted Wednesday that supply problems had been resolved.
Venezuela, which ranks Sputnik for people over 50, ordered 10 million doses in December 2020 but got just under 4 million. Argentina, the first country in the Western Hemisphere to operate Sputnik, got its first shipment on December 25 but is still waiting for much of the 20 million it bought.
“It’s been a long time now, several months, I was worried because (the vaccine) was going to arrive, and then it wasn’t, and then I had to wait, and then I wouldn’t have to wait,” said García de Perez, adding, “You want certainty and hope the thing will come.” “.
Launched in August 2020 and proudly named after the world’s first satellite to symbolize Russia’s scientific prowess, Sputnik V has been approved in nearly 70 countries. Russian state media earlier this year broadcast triumphant reports of “the conquest of the world” as Moscow aggressively marketed it after rich nations kept supplies of Western-developed vaccines for themselves.
Judy Twigg, a professor of global health at Virginia Commonwealth University, said it was for a while “the only game in town”, but adds that Russia’s opportunity to “really claim to be the savior” in the pandemic is over.
Unlike other COVID-19 vaccines, the first and second shots of Sputnik are different and not interchangeable. Manufacturing in Russia has been marred by reports of production difficulties, particularly in making the second component. Experts pointed to the limited production capacity as well as the fact that the process is very complex.
Sputnik is a vector viral vaccine that uses a harmless virus that carries genetic material to stimulate the immune system. Manufacturers cannot guarantee stable production because working with biological components involves a lot of variables in terms of the quality of the final product.
Airfinity, a life sciences data analytics company, estimates that 62 countries have supply agreements for about 1 billion doses of Sputnik V, with only 48 million doses exported to date. She said it was not clear if these doses were supposed to be delivered in 2021 or over a longer period.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund, which finances and markets the vaccine abroad and has production contracts with 25 manufacturing sites in 14 countries, says it is “fully compliant with contracts to supply Sputnik V, including the second component, after a successful production ramp-up in August and September.”
The CEO of the fund, Kirill Dmitriev, said in an interview with the Associated Press that all supply problems “are completely resolved. All problems related to the second component are being resolved in all countries.”
“There is not a single vaccine manufacturer in the world that has not had vaccine delivery problems,” he said.
Although the West has largely relied on vaccines made in the United States and Europe, such as Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca, many developing countries have sought vaccines that are easier to obtain from China and Russia. The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have not yet approved the use of Sputnik V.
In Argentina, delays in Sputnik shipments and an increase in the virus in March have led to public pressure on the government to speed up negotiations with other pharmaceutical companies.
The initial agreement was for 20 million doses, of which the country had received about 14.2 million as of Tuesday. A subsequent agreement was signed for a local laboratory to produce the vaccine with the active ingredient shipped from Russia. It has produced about 1.2 million first doses and about 3.6 million second doses.
Argentine officials said this month that the fund had requested the return of 1.3 million doses for packaging reasons. The doses have been replaced.
Virus-hit Iran on Thursday received the 14th batch of Sputnik vaccines, bringing the number of doses to 1.77 million out of the 60 million it had promised. The Iranian news agency (IRNA) quoted the country’s ambassador to Russia as saying in April that the doses were expected to be shipped between May and November.
There are indications that Iran is also suffering from a shortage of the second component of Sputnik. Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi last month urged those who received the first dose to get a second dose of AstraZeneca, citing “uncertainty” about when Russia will arrive.
A similar problem appears to have prevented Turkey from fully rolling out Sputnik. Officials announced a deal to get 50 million doses in April, with news reports saying the vaccines will be delivered within six months. As of June, only 400,000 have arrived.
“Russia missed that opportunity,” said Twigg, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. “I think in some cases, it left Russia’s reputation in Iran, Guatemala, Argentina, maybe Mexico, maybe a little worse than it would have been if it had done nothing, or if it had waited and made more fulfilling promises from the start, because people were disappointed.”
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in August that Turkey was not able to roll out Sputnik because it did not have the second doses on hand. Koca later said Turkey was “engaged in trying” to obtain the first and second doses. A Health Ministry official would not comment on whether Turkey was still hoping to receive the second doses or whether it had simply given up on the application.
The whole process is a black box. Opposition MP Murat Amir said last month in his interrogation of Koca about the fate of the Sputnik launch, including whether Turkey would recover 400,000 unused doses.
India secured a promise of 125 million two-dose doses of Sputnik but gave less than a million by October 6.
Sputnik’s delays in Argentina and Venezuela have prompted some people to get a different vaccine for their second dose, although scientists are still studying the effects of this mix-and-match.
Dr. Chris Perrier, professor of public health and human rights at Johns Hopkins University, noted that early purchases of highly effective vaccines by wealthier nations made it difficult for developing countries to protect their populations.
“One dose is better than no dose. So, I think, for countries that have already started with Sputnik, it makes sense to go for the second dose, even if there is a delay.” But if they don’t get that vaccine at all, they should definitely look for vaccines other.”
AOQ