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Fortis To Introduce Sputnik V In India Starting On This Day

Fortis To Introduce Sputnik V In India Starting On This Day
Fortis To Introduce Sputnik V In India Starting On This Day

Fortis hospitals recently said that the Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19 would be available as part of a restricted trial roll-out soon. Read on to know more.

Written by Arushi Bidhuri |Published : June 17, 2021 7:40 PM IST

Fortis Healthcare said on Thursday that the Sputnik V vaccination against Covid-19 would be available as part of a restricted trial roll-out starting June 19 at two of its facilities. The two-dose injection will be offered at Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurugram and Fortis Hospital in Mohali. It will be expanded to include other Fortis hospitals across 11 locations. In India, Sputnik V costs Rs 1,145 per dosage (as determined by the government) plus administrative costs.

"Till date, our units were only providing Covaxin and Covishield. We are pleased to announce that Fortis, in collaboration with Dr Reddy's Laboratories, is among the first to provide a third vaccine option, with the dual objective of expanding and scaling up the vaccination drive and lowering the infection risks to future mutations of the virus," Fortis Healthcare MD and CEO, Dr Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, said, in a statement.

Sputnik V Is Highly Effective Against The Coronavirus

After Covaxin and Covishield, Sputnik V is the third vaccine to be approved for use in India's vaccination programme. Sputnik V, developed by Russia's Gamaleya National Center, employs two distinct vectors for the two injections in a vaccination course, giving longer-lasting protection than vaccines that use the same delivery mechanism for both shots. Sputnik V, which was launched in August of last year and has a 91.6 per cent effectiveness rate, was the world's first vaccination against Covid-19.

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"We urge all Indian citizens to vaccinate themselves and help make the drive successful -- only if we get ourselves vaccinated and follow Covid appropriate behaviour, can the chain of infections and community transmission be broken. It is essential that we follow all recommended measures by the government to protect ourselves, our families and loved ones and prevent a possible third wave," he added.

Russian Vaccine Will Be Available In 9 Cities

Dr Reddys Laboratories announced this week that the soft launch of the Sputnik V covid vaccine in India, which began in Hyderabad, has been expanded to a number of locations. Now, the vaccine will be available in 9 more cities across India, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Baddi, Kolhapur and Miryalaguda.

The company has agreed to sell the first 125 million people doses (250 million vials) of SputnikV in India as part of a deal with the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Sputnik V was recently delivered to an Indian pharmaceutical company in the amount of approximately three million dosages.

(with inputs from IANS)