Sputnik V Developer Extends Vaccine's Shelf Life To 8 Months

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th May, 2021) The shelf life of Russia's coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V has been increased to eight months and is about to be extended to one year, Alexander Gintsburg, the director of Russia's Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, has told Sputnik.

The Russian vaccine was originally said to be usable within six months.

"We have extended the expiration date because it is time to do so. It will definitely be extended to a year, it is now extended to eight months simply because we have not yet observed it for more than eight months," Gintsburg said.

The official also proposed to conduct a study of post-vaccination cellular immunity, citing potential financial benefits.

"We need to study the lifespan of memory cells, make it official research in order to put that information in the registration certificate later. This should save the country an enormous amount of money," Gintsburg stated, adding that the vaccine is likely to protect against the disease for at least two years.

Sputnik V, the world's first registered coronavirus vaccine, has been approved for emergency use in 65 countries across the globe. The efficacy of the vaccine stands at 97.6%, based on the latest analysis of data on the post-vaccination infection percentage among 3.8 million vaccinated Russians. It is higher than the 91.6% efficacy shown in an interim analysis from the trial published in The Lancet in early February.