(Vientiane Times/ANN)--------The Russian government has given the Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V to Laos, according to the Russian Embassy in Vientiane.
The vaccines were presented by Russian Ambassador Vladimir A. Kalinin to Deputy Minister of Health Associate Prof. Dr Phouthone Muongpak.
Speaking at the handover ceremony at the Ministry of Health, Ambassador Kalinin said the vaccines were financed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).
Developed by the Gamaleya National Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology, the vaccine is 91.4 percent effective in providing protection against Covid-19, he added.
Almost one million Russian citizens have been given the vaccine and have experienced no side effects. More than 50 countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, have asked to buy up to 1.2 billion doses of Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine.
The first Covid-19 vaccinations in Laos were given in late November following the provision of 2,000 doses of vaccine by China.
At least 100 hundred frontline medical workers have received a second injection. Two doses of the vaccine are required to provide optimal immunity to Covid-19.
The volunteers who were vaccinated showed no side effects or problematic symptoms, Dr Phouthone told reporters recently.
Laos also expects to receive Covid-19 vaccines from the Gavi COVAX Facility – an initiative working to ensure global equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines, according to Minister of Health Associate Prof. Dr Bounkong Syhavong.
The vaccines funded by the COVAX Facility are expected to be administered in April.
Priority groups in line for vaccinations are medical staff, officials working at land border crossings and airports, and elderly people living in at-risk communities such as border areas where there have been reports of illegal migration.
It is expected that 50 percent of the population will be vaccinated by 2022, with more people to be vaccinated in the following years.
It will cost almost US$18 to immunise just one person, meaning that almost US$100 million is required to vaccinate everyone in Laos.
To date, 43 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Laos after two more positive test results were announced on Friday. These were the first new infections to be reported in 46 days.
