After the Egyptian health authorities announced that Egypt received its first batch of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine “Sputnik V”, why did Egypt sign for this vaccine and what are its details?
Chest diseases consultant and member of the Egyptian Society of Allergy and Immunology Dr. Magdy Badran said to “Trendify” that the Sputnik V vaccine is the first to be developed worldwide, and it received international attention after The Lancet Medical Magazine recently published the results of clinical tests that confirm its high effectiveness and 100% immunity against extreme cases of infection.
“Its side effects have not yet been reported,” said Dr. Badran, adding that Sputnik V has been approved in several countries including Russia, Belarus, Argentine, Bolivia, Serbia, Algeria, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Argentine, Tunisia, Armenia and Mexico.
“Egypt will not approve any foreign vaccine until it is 100% confirmed safe for usage,” stated Dr. Badran.
It is priced at $10 per shot and is stored in temperatures between 8 or 9 degrees Celsius which is suitable for normal storage as opposed to other vaccines that require specific refrigerating systems, making it more affordable and easily distributed around the world, clarified Dr. Badran.
Dr. Essam Al-Moghazy, World Health Organization consultant and President of the Anti-Smoking and Chest Diseases Association in Egypt said to Trendify, “The Russian vaccine took a while to receive approval from the World Health Organisation, even though it was from the first vaccines to be developed.”
“We must have different sources available for the COVID-19 vaccine, as we should not rely on only one country for a medical necessity, and we should also rely on our own production of vaccines,” said Dr. Moghazy and added that as long as the vaccine is approved by the WHO, they all share similar effectiveness.
According to Minapharm Pharmaceuticals, a leading pharmaceutical company in Egypt and the Middle East, in an official statement, the efficacy of Sputnik V is 97.6% based on the analysis of data on the coronavirus infection rate among those in Russia vaccinated with both components of Sputnik V from December 5, 2020 to March 31, 2021.
The vaccine is given in two doses and provides immunity with longer durations than other vaccines with the same delivery mechanisms. There have been no reports of strong allergies resulting from taking Sputnik V.