MINSK, 31 March (BelTA) – The Belmedpreparaty pharmaceutical company will roll out the first commercial batch of the Sputnik V vaccine in mid-April, Healthcare Minister Dmitry Pinevich told reporters during his visit to the National Applied Science Center for Transfusiology and Medical Biotechnologies, BelTA has learned.
The minister informed that literally the other day Belarus received a batch of 100,000 doses of the second component of Sputnik V. The vaccine is now being distributed throughout the country. “In mid-April, Belmedpreparaty will roll out the first commercial batch of 100,000 doses,” the minister said.
According to him, Belmedpreparaty will manufacture 500,000 vaccines every month. The minister emphasized that each of these 500,000 vaccines will have two doses. In other words, they are meant for the two-dose vaccination of 500,000 people.
In April – May 2021, about one million people will get their shots. “The immunization program is expected to cover four million people by autumn,” the minister said.
However, the ongoing vaccination does not mean that safety measures, including the requirement to wear masks in public places, can be relaxed. According to the minister, there are plans to strengthen control over compliance with this requirement.
Dmitry Pinevich welcomed effective cooperation of the health systems of Belarus and Russia, in particular the joint fight against coronavirus infection. This pertains to Russia's readiness to provide a technology to produce vaccines against COVID-19. “I am sure that our enterprise will bottle more vaccines [than Belarus needs], and we agreed on this. These vaccines will cover the needs of the Russian Federation or some third countries in our common interests,” the minister noted.
