Russia Dubs New Coronavirus Vaccine ‘Sputnik’ After Soviet Satellite

Advertisement Moscow has dubbed its new coronavirus vaccine “Sputnik V” after the Soviet satellite, the head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund said … Continue reading Russia Dubs New Coronavirus Vaccine ‘Sputnik’ After Soviet Satellite

By Nebianet Usaini

Updated August 11, 2020

Handout picture released by the Sao Paulo State Government press office showing a volunteer receiving the COVID-19 vaccine during the trial stage of the vaccine produced by the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech at the Hospital das Clinicas (HC) in Sao Paulo state, Brazil, on July 21, 2020. The vaccine trial will be carried out in Brazil in partnership with the Brazilian Research Institute Butanta. Handout / Sao Paulo State Government / AFP

This file photo taken on April 29, 2020 shows an engineer taking samples of monkey kidney cells as he make tests on an experimental vaccine for the COVID-19 coronavirus inside the Cells Culture Room laboratory at the Sinovac Biotech facilities in Beijing. (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP)

Moscow has dubbed its new coronavirus vaccine “Sputnik V” after the Soviet satellite, the head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund said Tuesday, after Russia declared itself the first country to develop a vaccine.

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund which finances the vaccine project, said Phase 3 trials would start on Wednesday, industrial production was expected from September and that 20 countries had pre-ordered more than a billion doses.

-AFP