More than 20 countries have made requests to purchase over 1 billion doses of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus candidate vaccine despite safety concerns, according to Russia’s sovereign wealth fund which is bankrolling the project.
Presidents of several countries, including Moldova, Mexico, the Philippines and Serbia, have volunteered to receive the shots themselves.
Here’s a look at four countries that have recently struck deals to conduct trials on or produce Sputnik V:
— Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan signed a deal with Russia’s sovereign wealth fund to secure “a guaranteed amount of the Sputnik V vaccine after it passes all trials,” the Kazakh government said Wednesday.
Russia’s state-run Gamaleya research institute, which developed the potential vaccine, will produce more than 2 million doses of the vaccine for Kazakhstan.
— Belarus
President Vladimir Putin, according to Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko’s office, promised his Belarusian counterpart the first export batch of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine in a Monday phone call.
Putin and Lukashenko also agreed that Belarusians will “voluntarily participate” in the third stage of testing for Sputnik V, the presidential office said Monday amid mass anti-government protests in Belarus.
— Mexico
Mexico will receive at least 2,000 doses of Russia’s candidate coronavirus vaccine as part of the injection’s Phase 3 clinical trials, Mexico’s foreign minister said last Thursday.
— Philippines
The Philippines will begin large-scale human testing of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine in October but without President Rodrigo Duterte, according to the country’s presidential office.
The Philippines’ food and drug administration is expected to approve the Sputnik V vaccine in April. The Philippines has also accepted Russia’s offer to participate in the vaccine’s production.
