Russia to deliver Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine to India on 1 May

India is likely to receive the first batch of Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik V’ on May 1, Reuters reported citing officials of Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Speaking with the news agency, RDIF chief said the first batch of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine will be delivered in India on May 1, adding that he hoped the Russian supplies would help India navigate its way out of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in time.

The sovereign wealth fund, responsible for marketing Sputnik V globally, has already entered into agreements with five Indian vaccine manufacturers for over 850 million doses per annum. The RDIF has said it expects production of the vaccine in India to reach 50 million doses a month by the summer and to rise further, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, the centre has waived customs duty on the import of COVID-19 vaccines, medical grade oxygen and other healthcare-related equipment as the nation grapples with the worst health crisis in recent memory.

The World Health Organization chief voiced alarm at India’s record-breaking wave of Covid-19 cases and deaths, saying the organisation was rushing to help address the crisis. “The situation in India is beyond heartbreaking,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.

The WHO also said it had transferred more than 2,600 of its experts from various programmes, including polio and tuberculosis, to work with Indian health authorities to help respond to the pandemic.

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India to receive 50 million doses of Sputnik V by May end

The country with more than 1.3 billion population has become the latest hotspot of pandemic. India on Tuesday reported 3,23,144 new coronavirus cases in a day, taking the total number of infections since the pandemic broke out in January 2020, to 1,76,36,307. This is the sixth consecutive day of country reporting more than three lakh cases. With 2,771 deaths, the toll went up to 1,97,894.