As many as 300,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Argentina on Thursday morning, following its approval by the government for emergency use.
It is the largest one-time delivery of a coronavirus vaccine to any country in Latin America.
According to an official statement, "The supply of 300,000 doses to Argentina is one of the largest single shipments of a COVID vaccine to any country in Latin America."
It further said that this delivery is part of the total supply volume of 10 million doses agreed by RDIF and the Government of Argentina on December 10.
On December 23, Argentina's National Administration of Drugs, Foods and Medical Devices (ANMAT) had granted Sputnik V for emergency use authorisation and approved the use of the vaccine in the country.
"The delivery of the Sputnik V vaccine to Argentina is a great example of cooperation between our countries and a truly historic moment. The whole country watched the plane with the first batch of Sputnik V vaccine land at Ezeiza Airport on Christmas Eve with the great hope that this is the beginning of the new COVID-free era. V in the name of our vaccine stands for Victory and we wish the people of Argentina a decisive victory over this disease," said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
According to the statement, the cost of one dose is less than USD10 for international markets and the production of the lyophilized (dry) form of the vaccine, which is stored at a temperature of +2 to +8 degrees Celsius, enables the vaccine to be easily distributed to international markets.
( With inputs from ANI )
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