Russia, WHO differ on when approval will come for Sputnik V

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV and TANYA TITOVA
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — The head of the Russian sovereign fund bankrolling the shot says Russia is ready to provide up to 300 million doses of its Sputnik V vaccine to the U.N.-backed COVAX initiative. That’s despite the lack of WHO approval and Sputnik V vaccine production issues that are drawing concerns worldwide. Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev and the World Health Organization had vastly different takes Wednesday on when the Russian vaccine would get WHO’s stamp of approval. Sputnik V is already being used in 70 countries around the world despite not yet being authorized by the U.N. health agency. Some countries, especially in Latin America, have expressed fears lately that they are not getting the vaccine’s second shot in time to properly innoculate their people from COVID-19.