The BRICS summit was organized by Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Archive)
Moscow:
President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday called for a joint effort by the BRICS countries in the development of coronavirus vaccines, as he suggested that the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 could be produced in China and India, which are members of the bloc. of five nations. .
“We believe that it is important to accelerate the establishment of the BRICS vaccine research and development center, which we agreed to do two years ago, at the initiative of our South African friends,” Putin said, addressing the 12th BRICS summit via videoconference.
The summit, organized by President Putin, was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Putin said the Russian Sputnik V vaccine that was registered in August could be produced in China and India, both members of the BRICS, Sputniknews reported.
“The Russian Fund for Direct Investment has reached agreements with its Brazilian and Indian partners to carry out clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine, it has also reached an agreement with pharmaceutical companies in China and India to launch the production of the vaccine in these countries not only to meet their needs, but also for third countries, “Putin said.
On August 11, Russia became the first country in the world to register a coronavirus vaccine, dubbed Sputnik V. The vaccine was developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute, while the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is investing in the production and promotion of the vaccine abroad. . Another Russian vaccine, EpiCoronaVac, produced by Vector Research Center, was registered in October.
President Putin at the time said that Sputnik V works “quite effectively” and forms a “stable immunity” against the deadly disease. He had revealed that one of his daughters had tested a Russian COVID-19 vaccine on herself and is feeling fine.
The Sputnik V vaccine has been shown to be 92 percent effective in preventing COVID-19, according to the results of interim trials announced by the country’s Ministry of Health last week.
The vaccine has been named Sputnik-V. The name is a reference to the surprise launch in 1957 of the world’s first satellite by the Soviet Union.
The twelfth BRICS summit was originally scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg in July, but had to be postponed due to the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
So far, the coronavirus has infected more than 54 million people worldwide and killed more than 1.3 million people, even as governments implemented strict closures and restrictions to slow the spread of the virus that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
A second wave of infections threatens to derail economies and impact lives again as countries have gradually begun to ease restrictions and open up.
The BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) are known as an influential bloc representing more than 3.6 billion people, or half of the world’s population. The BRICS countries have a combined GDP of $ 16.6 trillion.
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