New Delhi: Russia's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine 'Sputnik light' will be produced in India, much in the line of its predecessors Sputnik V whose production also happens in the country.


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"It will be produced in exactly the same countries where Sputnik V will be produced. So it's India, Korea, and China," said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian direct investment Fund (RDIF) in a virtual presser. 


"Many other countries already produce the sputnik V vaccine. So same capabilities production can be used because basically sputnik light will be the first shot of the sputnik V vaccine. So we will use the same production capacity that exists," he said.


Russian Ministry of Health, the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, and RDIF on Thursday announced that Sputnik Light has received authorization for use in Russia. 


RDIF and the Gamaleya institute are behind the Russian vaccine.  According to RDIF, the Sputnik Light vaccine demonstrated 79.4% efficacy. 


Nearly 7000 people in multiple countries like Russia, UAE, Ghana, and others were involved in its Phase III clinical study. 


Notably, India has approved Sputnik V and its first consignment arrived in the country on May 1. In fact, RDIF has signed pacts with five Indian companies to produce 850 million doses of the vaccine in the country that will not only be used in India and Russia but also exported to third country. 


Indian envoy to Russia Bala Venkatesh Varma recently said, "We expect in the months ahead more than 60-70 % of Sputnik vaccine produced anywhere will be produced in India".


More than 60 countries have given approval to Sputnik V and as of May 5, more than 20 million people globally have received the first injection of the Sputnik V vaccine. 


Meanwhile, the cost of the Sputnik Light vaccine globally according to Russian authorities will be less than $10 and it can be kept in temperatures at +2 +8. 


Kirill Dmitriev is hopeful of various regulators across the world giving it approval, with some approvals expected as early as next week.