Russia Turns to China for Sputnik Vaccine Production Due to High Demand

Under the title "In Response to High Demand...Russia Turns to China for Sputnik Vaccine Production," Sky News reported that Russia is reaching out to various Chinese companies to manufacture the "Sputnik V" coronavirus vaccine, in an effort to accelerate production amid increasing demand for the vaccine. Russia has announced three agreements totaling 260 million doses with Chinese vaccine companies in recent weeks. This decision could lead to faster access to the vaccine for countries in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa that have requested the Russian vaccine, while the United States and the European Union primarily focus on domestic vaccination needs. Previous criticisms of the Russian vaccine have largely diminished following data published in the British medical journal "The Lancet," which indicated that large-scale trials showed it to be safe, with an efficacy rate of 91 percent. However, experts have questioned whether Russia can fulfill its commitments to countries around the globe as it promised hundreds of millions of doses but has delivered only a fraction. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that demand for "Sputnik V" significantly exceeds Russia's domestic production capacity. To boost production, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which finances "Sputnik V," has signed agreements with several pharmaceutical manufacturers in other countries, including India, South Korea, Brazil, Serbia, Turkey, Italy, and others. However, there are few indications that manufacturers abroad, apart from those in Belarus and Kazakhstan, have produced large quantities of the vaccine so far.