Kremlin's Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday assured that the Sputnik V vaccine demand worldwide is so high that it exceeds Russia's production capacity despite its biotechnological development and scientific expertise.
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"At first, the Sputnik V vaccine was criticized and mistrusted. Today, its demand has exceeded our forecasts," Peskov said, recalling that his country wants to increase the Sputnik V production in other countries.
"Our country, which is the fourth nation with the most COVID-19 cases worldwide, is prioritizing supplying the domestic market. The national vaccination campaign is our top priority," he added.
So far, twenty-eight countries from Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia have allowed the emergency use of the Russian vaccine.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (FIDR) signed contracts with 15 pharmaceutical companies from ten nations to produce around 1.4 billion doses, which would immunize 700 million people.
China, India, South Korea, and Iran will produce the vaccine to export it to third countries, while Serbia and Brazil will develop it for local use.
Sputnik V demand soared after The Lancet journal published a study on the vaccine's efficiency of almost 92 percent in early February.