MOSCOW, December 21. / TASS /. Director of the Center. Gamalei Alexander Gintsburg believes that by the end of 2021, production sites will be able to produce a sufficient number of doses of the Sputnik V vaccine to cover the needs of the Russian population. He announced this in an interview for the film "Epidemic with Anton Krasovsky", which is posted on the YouTube channel RT.
According to the scientist, at the moment in the country, the drug is produced by five enterprises, which in January 2021 should go into production of 5-6 million doses per month. "In Skolkovo <…>" Sberbank "and" R-Pharm "are building a completely new plant, specialized, it was originally created for the production of this vaccine, with a production capacity of up to 10 million doses of vaccine per month. I am sure that everything will work out, there is enough money, the organizational resource is more than [enough]. [That is] 5-6 [million doses] from February [production] will add another 10 million [doses per month]. That is, this will be a threefold increase, well, it is quite realistic that we We will “close” the country with this vaccine by the end of the year, and even the export potential will remain,”he said.
To date, 350 thousand doses of the Sputnik V vaccine have already been released into civil circulation for mass production. In the warehouse of the center. Gamaleas are ready for another 250 thousand doses, 150 thousand of which in the near future may receive permission from Roszdravnadzor to be sent to the regions, Gunzburg noted. "By the end of November of the next coming year, we must vaccinate the required number of the population in order for population immunity to give its results," he concluded.
The President had previously set the task of organizing vaccinations throughout the country. As Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin added, vaccination should be completely voluntary and free. First of all, the vaccine should be received by teachers, doctors and social workers. At the same time, the regions can expand this list. According to Mishustin, the regions will receive 480,000 doses of the vaccine in December. The Ministry of Health has already drawn up a schedule for its distribution across the country.
Vaccine storage conditions
Gunzburg noted that Sputnik V can be stored at temperatures ranging from 2 to 4 degrees Celsius, that is, in an ordinary refrigerator.
"I'll tell you a little secret: for two months they have shown that at the temperature of a household refrigerator, that is, plus 2, plus 4, this vaccine is fully active. I think that in two months we will already be in the registration certificate, I hope we can amend it, that this vaccine can be stored not at minus 18, but at the temperature of a household refrigerator, "he said.
On December 7, the head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova approved the rules for the transportation and storage of Sputnik V. They suggest that the vaccine should be stored at minus 18 degrees.