The Russians do not trust their own vaccine, but it is used in Hungary
The Russians do not want to receive their own vaccine. However, production will not stop; more and more vaccines are planned to be made in the future. The surplus can go to countries whose governments have good relations with the Russian government, for example, Hungary.
Moscow Time reports that Russia will supply more and more vaccines to those who require them. This is because, according to surveys, the Russian population does not trust the Sputnik vaccine and would prefer the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. In contrast, Sputnik’s production is at unprecedented heights. This is partly due to the entry of a new manufacturer, writes Napi.hu.
The production of the Sputnik vaccine has encountered many difficulties. By the end of last year, 10 million doses had been promised, but only about half of that has arrived in Hungary by now. By early February, 7 million doses had been licensed. However, experts say this is all in the past and that production’s speed will rapidly increase. According to Vitalij Saknazarov, director of quality assurance at the pharmaceutical company COREX,
30 per cent of the total production of the Russian vaccine is aimed at foreign markets.
As a result of an unexpected issue with their production, only a third of the first shipment of 300 thousand doses promised to Hungary has arrived. However, this is about to change. A professor at the Skoltech Pharmaceutical Research Institute believes it realistic that the production capacity of the Sputnik V could be increased to 30 million doses per month by March and 40 million doses per month by June. R-Pharm, a pharmaceutical company owned by Russian billionaire Alexej Pepik, will also begin its production. This company alone can produce 10 million doses of the vaccine per month.
However, the future may hold challenges. Increasing production can cause shortages in certain raw materials. Moreover, another aspect that could potentially complicate the situation is the emergence of newer Russian vaccines.
One thing is for sure, the Russians’ desire to vaccinate will not curb the export of vaccines.
Both foreign and local polls suggest that the Russian population is sceptical towards their vaccine.
The distrust can best be explained by the fact that the vaccine was approved by the authorities before its tests were completed. The Russian government is confident that it will be able to vaccinate 60 per cent of the population by the end of 2021, but only a few experts believe in this goal.
It is much more likely that most Russian vaccines will be delivered to countries close to Russia, such as Hungary.
Source: napi.hu