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Updated 1 December 2021

The Russian Sputnik vaccine has been one of the front-runners from the start of the COVID-19 vaccine race. By now, it has been approved in 74 different countries and is being distributed across the globe. It has also come to the aid of several low and middle-income countries through the COVAX agreement.

Keep reading to find out where the Sputnik vaccine has been approved.

About Sputnik V

The Sputnik V is an adenovirus-based vector vaccine administered in two doses 28 days apart.

Without getting too technical, a vector is an engineered virus without the ability to replicate or multiply. When the vector containing the coronavirus gene is injected into the human body, it triggers a surge of coronavirus spike proteins without actually infecting the body. The body’s immune system then gears into high alert, making it capable of developing an immunity to the virus.

The first dose of the Sputnik V vaccine utilizes adenovirus 26 as the vector for the coronavirus surface protein, while the second dose uses adenovirus 5.

While there are other adenovirus-based vaccines on the market today, Gamaleya, Sputnik V manufacturer, claims that theirs is the only vaccine utilizing the two-vector vaccination system. This means, unlike other double dose vaccines, each dose of Sputnik V is different.

 

WHO approval

The WHO is yet to approve the Sputnik V vaccine.

As per the “Status of COVID-19 Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process” document released by the WHO on 15 July, the rolling submission of the vaccine’s clinical and CMC data has started. The anticipated date will be set once all the required data is submitted and the follow-up of inspection observations is completed.

WHO has stated that the Emergency Use Listing process for Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine is currently on hold due to a few legal procedures and missing data but the listing process will be completed soon.

For COVID-19 vaccines, the UN’s health branch has set the bar for minimum efficacy at 50% in its considerations for evaluation of COVID-19 vaccines. So far, the WHO has also approved:

  • Pfizer/BioNTech: Comirnaty
  • Oxford/AstraZeneca: Vaxzevria
  • Johnson & Johnson: Ad26.COV2.S
  • Moderna: mRNA-1273
  • Sinopharm: BBIBP-CorV
  • Sinovac: CoronaVac
  • Covishield: Oxford/ AstraZeneca formulation
  • Covaxin: Bharat Biotech BBV152

EMA approval

The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) conducts a rolling review of the clinical trial data of the vaccines. Only after it decides that enough evidence is available can the developer apply for marketing authorization.

As per the official website of the EMA, Sputnik V is currently under this review.

 

Sputnik V approved countries

Albania

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac.

Algeria

The other vaccines approved in the country are AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Sinovac.

Angola

The other vaccines approved in the country are AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, and Sputnik Light.

Antigua and Barbuda

The other vaccine approved in the country is Covishield.

Argentina

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, CanSino, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Moderna, Sinopharm and Sinovac.

Armenia

The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik Light, AstraZeneca and Sinovac.

Azerbaijan

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac.

Bahrain

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Janssen, Sputnik Light, Sinopharm, and Covishield.

Bangladesh

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, Covishield, Sinopharm, Sinovac, and Janssen.

Belarus

The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik Light and Sinopharm.

Bolivia

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Janssen, Sinopharm and Covishield.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

Brazil

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Covishield, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

Cambodia

The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik Light, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Sinovac.

Cameroon

The other vaccine approved in the country is Sinopharm.

Chile

The other vaccine approved in the country is Pfizer, CanSino, Janssen, AstraZeneca and Sinovac.

Djibouti

Sputnik is the only vaccine approved in the country.

Ecuador

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, CanSino, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac.

Egypt

The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik Light, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

Gabon

The other vaccine approved in the country is Sinopharm.

Ghana

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Janssen, AstraZeneca and Covishield.

Guatemala

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna and AstraZeneca.

Guinea

Sputnik is the only vaccine approved in the country.

Guyana

The other vaccines approved in the country are Covaxin, AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm.

Honduras

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna and Covishield.

Hungary

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, CanSino, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Covishield, and Sinopharm.

India

The other vaccines approved in the country are Zydus Cadila, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Covaxin, and Moderna.

Indonesia

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, CanSino, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Sinovac, RBD-Dimer and Novavax.

Iran 

The other vaccines approved in the country are SpikoGen, Sputnik Light, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Covaxin, Sinopharm, and Shifa Pharmed Industrial Co’s COVID-19 Inactivated Vaccine.

Iraq

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm.

Jordan

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm.

Kazakhstan

The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik Light, QazVac, and Sinovac.

Kenya

The other vaccines approved in the country is Moderna, Pfizer, Janssen, AstraZeneca and Sinopharm.

Kyrgyzstan

The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik Light, QazVac and Sinopharm.

Laos

The other vaccines approved in the country are Sinopharm and Sinovac.

Lebanon

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Covishield, and Sinopharm.

Libya

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Janssen, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca.

Maldives

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, Covishield, Janssen, and Sinopharm.

Mali

The other vaccine approved in the country is AstraZeneca.

Mauritius

The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik Light, Covaxin, AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm.

Mexico

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Sinopharm, Pfizer, CanSino, Janssen, Covaxin, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac.

Moldova

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

Mongolia

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, and Sputnik Light.

Montenegro

The other vaccine approved in the country is Sinopharm.

Morocco

The other vaccines approved in the country are AstraZeneca, Covishield, and Sinopharm.

Myanmar

The other vaccine approved in the country is Covishield.

Namibia

The other vaccines approved in the country are Covishield and Sinopharm.

Nepal

The other vaccines approved in the country are Covishield, Covaxin, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

Nicaragua

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Abdala, Sputnik Light and Covishield.

Nigeria

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Covishield and Sinopharm.

North Macedonia

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm.

Oman

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac.

Pakistan

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, CanSino, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

Panama

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac.

Paraguay

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Covaxin, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

Philippines

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, Sputnik Light, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Covaxin, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

Republic of the Congo

The other vaccine approved in the country is Sputnik Light and Sinopharm.

Russia

The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik Light, KoviVac, and EpiVacCorona.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, Janssen, and Covishield.

San Marino

Sputnik is the only vaccine approved in the country.

Serbia

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm.

Seychelles

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Sinopharm, and Covishield.

Slovakia

The other vaccines approved in the country are BioNTech, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Oxford/AstraZeneca.

Sri Lanka

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

Syria

The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik and Covishield.

Tunisia

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

Turkey

The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer and Sinovac.

Turkmenistan

The other vaccine approved in the country is EpiVacCorona.

United Arab Emirates

The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, Sputnik Light, AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm.

Uzbekistan

The other vaccines approved in the country are RBD-Dimer and AstraZeneca.

Venezuela

The other vaccines approved in the country are Abdala, Sputnik Light and Sinopharm.

Vietnam

The other vaccines approved in the country are Abdala, Moderna, Pfizer, Janssen, AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm.

West Bank

The other vaccines approved in the country are Sinopharm, Moderna, Pfizer, and Sputnik Light.

Zimbabwe

The other vaccines approved in the country are Janssen, Covaxin, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

Approved as valid proof of vaccination

The following are a list of countries that recognise the Sputnik V vaccine as valid proof of vaccination:

Cape Verde

The other vaccines recognised are Janssen, AstraZeneca, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm, Sinovac.

Croatia

The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca (including CoviShield).

Cyprus

The other vaccines recognised are Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria, Covishield, SKBio), Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Sinopharm, Sinovac.

Greece

The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sinovac, Covishield, Novavax, Sinopharm, Cansino Biologics.

Israel

The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Sinopharm, the Serum Institute of India, and Johnson and Johnson.

Rwanda

The other vaccines recognised are Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm.

Slovenia

The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer, Moderna, Sinovac, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca and Covishield.

 

About Sputnik Light

Sputnik Light is the single-dose variant of the original Russian vaccine.

It works on a design similar to that of Sputnik V, using recombinant human adenovirus to carry the code for spike proteins. Like the other one-off vaccine, Janssen, Sputnik Light is based on the human adenovirus serotype number 26.

The RDIF had earlier said that the Russian Sputnik Light Covid-19 vaccine demonstrates 78.6% to 83.7% efficacy among the elderly, as per real-world data collected by the Ministry of Health of the Buenos Aires province (Argentina). However, Gamaleya is yet to release scientific papers detailing the trial phase of the Sputnik Light vaccine and it is not yet clear as to how long the immunity from the vaccine lasts.

Sputnik Light was approved for emergency use in Russia in May 2021. Gamaleya is yet to apply for its WHO and EMA approvals.

Sputnik Light approved countries

The Sputnik Light vaccine has been approved in the following 21 nations so far:

  • Angola
  • Armenia
  • Bahrain
  • Belarus
  • Cambodia
  • Egypt
  • Iran
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Lao People’s Democratic Republic
  • Mauritius
  • Mongolia
  • Nicaragua
  • Philippines
  • Congo
  • Russia
  • San Marino
  • UAE
  • Tanzania
  • Venezuela
  • West Bank