5 African countries that have signed up for Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine

Two from north Africa and three in Sub-Saharan Africa. Five countries in all have given authorization for the role out of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccines.

A February 20, 2021 statement from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the country’s sovereign wealth fund announced that Sputnik V had been granted emergency use authorization in Ghana, the fifth African country.

The previous four countries included: Algeria, Tunisia, the Republic of Guinea and Gabon. Globally 31 countries have so far signed up for the Russian vaccine. Other vaccines currently being used in Africa include Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson.

RDIF said Sputnik V is one of the world's top three coronavirus vaccines in terms of the number of approvals issued by government regulators.

Countries currently using Sputnik V

Sputnik V had been approved earlier in Russia, Belarus, Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, Algeria, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan, Hungary, UAE, Iran, Republic of Guinea, Tunisia, Armenia.

The others are Mexico, Nicaragua, Republika Srpska (entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Mongolia, Bahrain, Montenegro, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Gabon and San Marino.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said:

“Ministry of Health of Ghana has thoroughly reviewed the data on safety and efficacy of Sputnik V also proven by publication in The Lancet and approved the use of the vaccine. This is another positive example of vaccine cooperation between Russia and partners across the world to save lives and protect the population.”

Sputnik V has a number of key advantages:

1. Efficacy of Sputnik V is 91.6% as confirmed by the data published in the Lancet, one of the world's oldest and most respected medical journals; It is one of only three vaccines in the world with efficacy of over 90%; Sputnik V provides full protection against severe cases of COVID-19.

2. The Sputnik V vaccine is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, which cause the common cold and have been around for thousands of years.

3. 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.

4. 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.

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

6. There are no strong allergies caused by Sputnik V.

7. The price of Sputnik V is less than $10 per shot, making it affordable around the world.