Russia likely to deliver Sputnik V jab to Africa free of charge

The Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be supplied to African countries free of charge, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev told the Rossiya-1 TV channel on Sunday.

"The first batches are likely to be delivered to African countries, since there is a very high incidence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant," the RDIF head noted.

Earlier, the RDIF reported that Sputnik V elicited a stable neutralizing antibody response to the Omicron variant and protects against severe disease and hospitalization, according to the preliminary research of the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.

Overall, the efficiency of the Sputnik V vaccine combined with the Sputnik Light booster jab is estimated at 80%.