Coronavirus: Sputnik V around 90% effective against Delta variant, say its developers

The Gamaleya Institute, which developed Sputnik V, said on Tuesday that the vaccine is around 90% effective against the Delta variant of the coronavirus, reported The Independent. This is slightly lower than the vaccine’s efficacy against the original strain recorded at 91.6% in phase 3 trials.

“We see that there is a slight decrease in serum activity with regard to the Delta variant – it is about 2.6 times for Sputnik V,” Denis Logunov, the deputy head of the Gamaleya Institute, was quoted by Russian news agency Tass at a press conference.

Logunov, however, claimed that other vaccines produced outside Russia had shown a bigger drop in efficacy. “We’re optimistic … there is a fall, but the fall is insignificant,” he said.

Russian authorities have said that a recent surge in Covid-19 cases in the country is because of the reluctance of many citizens to get vaccinated as well as due to the spread of the Delta variant, which they say accounts for around 90% of all new infections, reported Reuters. Around 12% of Russia’s population is fully vaccinated so far, according to Logunov.

The Gamaleya Institute deputy chief warned that the low vaccination rate raised the risks of the virus mutating further.

Sputnik V is among the four vaccines granted restricted emergency use in India. It…

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