The Russian single-component coronavirus vaccine Sputnik Light has received approval for use in Egypt, the Russian Direct Investment Fund said.
“The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, the sovereign wealth fund of the Russian Federation) announces the approval of the use of the Russian single-component vaccine against coronavirus Sputnik Light by the Egyptian Drug Authority,” the fund said.
In February 2021, Egypt also approved the Sputnik V two-component vaccine. According to the RDIF, vaccination with Sputnik Light in Egypt will allow faster formation of population immunity in the most populous country in the Middle East.
Sputnik Light demonstrates high safety and efficiency in the course of vaccination of the population in a number of countries. In particular, data from the Ministry of Health of the province of Buenos Aires (Argentina) showed the effectiveness of the Sputnik Light vaccine at the level of 78.6-83.7% when vaccinating the elderly. In Paraguay, according to the country’s Ministry of Health, the effectiveness of the drug was 93.5% during mass vaccination, the fund added.