How Egypt became hub for Russian COVID-19 vaccine
Egypt may become the hub of coronavirus vaccines in Africa after it agreed to produce the Russian Sputnik-V vaccine against the coronavirus.
CAIRO — Chief executive officer at Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev recently said there is a possibility that Russia could begin production of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Egypt and Algeria.
Speaking at an online UN session to present the Russian vaccine Dec. 2, Dmitriev said more than 40 countries — involving more than 50% of the global population — expressed interest in the Sputnik vaccine. He noted that RDIF received requests for the production of more than 1.2 billion doses of the vaccine, adding that the price of the dose is less than $10 — which makes it the least expensive coronavirus vaccine developed in the world to date.
During a teleconference with members of his government Aug. 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia has become the first country in the world to formally approve a coronavirus vaccine following the necessary trials, and one of his daughters has already been inoculated.
Although it was approved in Russia as the first effective vaccine against the coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has yet to register Sputnik-V.
