WHO ready to streamline international certification of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine – official

The World Health Organization is ready to assist in speeding up the process of certifying the Russian-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for emergency use worldwide.

“Several vaccines, including Sputnik V, are currently at the stage of assessment and submission of data… The WHO is looking forward to providing the necessary assistance to accelerate these proceedings,” technical officer for immunization at WHO/Europe, Oleg Benes, said at a briefing with Russian-language media.

The WHO said earlier it expects the full data on Sputnik V to be submitted by the end of January, before it can add the Russian-made jab to its list of vaccines for emergency use worldwide.

The global health agency cleared the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in late December. It is currently being used in immunization campaigns in the EU, Britain, US and Canada.

Sputnik V, developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, is being used in Russia and countries like Serbia and Argentina.

Benes also said the WHO is looking into the option of international certificates for people who have been vaccinated.

“With the emergence of effective and safe coronavirus vaccines, the WHO is studying the issues and the problems tied to the vaccination of international travelers,” he said.

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