Russian Sputnik V vaccine tailored for Covid variants

The Moscow-based Gamaleya National Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology has developed a version of the Sputnik V vaccine tailored for the Delta and Omicron variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes Covid-19.

“The Delta and Omicron-adapted version of Sputnik V is the most promising version of the vaccine specifically adapted to new variants as compared to those tailored against the combination of the original strain and Omicron variant,” the Gamaleya Center and the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which bankrolled the development of the vaccine, said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

After becoming the world’s first-registered Covid-19 vaccine in August 2020, the Sputnik V has been approved for use in around 70 countries.

According to a Russian study published in the peer-reviewed Vaccines journal in June, the existing version of Sputnik V is 97% effective against hospitalization with Omicron in patients vaccinated with three or four components (revaccination with Sputnik Light or Sputnik V after Sputnik V).