ALMATY – Kazakhstan has signed an agreement for Russia’s first prospective COVID-19 vaccine once clinical trials are completed, the Central Asian nation’s government said on Wednesday.
The government did not specify how many doses of the vaccine it plans to purchase or at what price. He said the vaccine would be manufactured so that Kazakh citizens at risk are distributed less.
The vaccine, named “Sputnik V” in honor of the world’s first satellite introduced through the Soviet Union, was acclaimed and effective by the Russian government and scientists after two months of small-scale human trials.
But Western experts have been more skeptical, cautiously opposing its use until regulatory action and approved tests have been taken around the world and shown to be successful.
Supporters of the Russian assignment said last week they were beginning large-scale trials of the vaccine that would involve more than 40,000 people and would be overseen by a foreign study body. (Reporting via Olzhas Asezov; Editing via Andrew Heavens)
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