HYDERABAD: The second batch of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine arrived in Hyderabad, Telangana. Russia is helping India in their battle against Covid19. They decided to partner with India to fight this virus.

“The second batch of Sputnik V arrives in Hyderabad, India!,” read the developers tweet.

“Given the recent launch of the Russian vaccine in the Indian vaccination campaign, this second delivery has become very timely,” said Russia’s Ambassador to India Nikolay Kudashev in a tweet.

He also added that there are plans to introduce a single-dose vaccine- Sputnik Lite, in India, very soon. Sputnik Lite demonstrated 79.4% efficacy, according to an analysis of data gathered 28 days after the shot was administered as part of Russia’s mass vaccination programme between December 2020 and April 2021, the vaccine’s developers said in a statement.

Also Read: Sputnik Light Vaccine Will Soon Be Produced in India, Check Efficacy

India received its first batch of Sputnik-V consisting of 1.5 lakh doses, on Saturday (May 1st). As Covid-19 cases and deaths have risen dramatically with more than 300,000 new infections registered daily, India is struggling to meet the rising demands for the vaccine.

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories tweeted that the batch which just arrived in Hyderabad contains as many as 60,000 doses. “The consignment that arrived today in Hyderabad contains 60,000 doses of the second dose component of the #SputnikV vaccine. Samples from the consignment will be sent for release to the Central Drugs Laboratory,” they tweeted.

The Sputnik-V shipment, which was authorized by an advisory panel earlier this month, would help India prepare for the pandemic, as many states have complained about vaccine shortages, forcing them to change their vaccination plans.

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories have taken up the manufacturing of the vaccine. The company fixed the cost at Rs 995.40 per dose inclusive of 5 per cent GST. It is likely to become cheaper after its introduction in the market. Sputnik V, which has an efficiency of 91.6 per cent, is the third vaccine to be approved for use in India and the very first foreign vaccine.