Austria has wrapped up negotiations to acquire Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said.
In a briefing to local media, Kurz said the talks had "de facto come to an end" making it possible for Austria to buy one million doses and provide an "additional turbo" to the country's vaccination rollout.
Kurz first revealed that he was in talks with Russia to purchase the vaccine in late March, following a February 26 phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The European Medicines Agency is still carrying out a rolling review of the Sputnik V vaccine. Asked last week if Austria would wait for an EU license, Kurz’s office said the licensing mechanism for Sputnik V is "still to be decided."
Hungary and Slovakia are, so far, the only EU countries to order the Russian vaccine. Hungary said Friday it would help Slovakia assess the jab after a negative assessment by Slovakia’s own drug regulator.
