The production of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine will be launched in Belgrade in May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference following talks with his Serbian counterpart Nikola Selakovic on April 16.
“In terms of vaccination rates, Serbia, as you know, occupies one of the first places in Europe, including, as the Minister noted today, thanks to the use of the Russian drug Sputnik V. We have a common opinion that in order to save lives, to save health of our citizens, it is necessary to continue this interaction and we hope that this will in practice contribute to the planned production of Sputnik V in Belgrade in May, ”he said.
The minister recalled that the other day the first tests took place, which were successful.
Nikola Selakovic, in turn, thanked Lavrov for helping Serbia to the country in the fight against the pandemic.
Earlier, on April 14, RDIF announced the launch of the production of a Russian vaccine at the Serbian Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Serums “Torlak”.
Thus, the ministry pointed out, Serbia became the first state in Southern Europe to produce Sputnik V.
On December 30, 2020, the first batch of the Russian drug for coronavirus arrived in Serbia. Sputnik V vaccination began in the country on January 6, 2021.
The Russian vaccine became the first coronavirus vaccine in the world and in Russia. The drug was developed by the specialists of the Gamaleya Center. It was registered on August 11, 2020.
According to information published in February by the medical journal The Lancet, according to the results of the third phase of clinical trials of this vaccine, its effectiveness was 91.6% after analyzing data from more than 19 thousand volunteers, in relation to severe cases of COVID-19 – 100%.