Russia seeks accelerated WHO registration for virus vaccine

Moscow: Russia has applied to the World Health Organization for accelerated registration and prequalification of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the country’s sovereign wealth fund said on Tuesday. Russia announced in August it had registered the world’s first coronavirus vaccine, named Sputnik V after the Soviet-era satellite. On Tuesday, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which finances the vaccine, said that accelerated registration would make the Russian vaccine “available globally in a shorter time frame than usual procedures.” “The Russian Federation has become one of the first countries to apply to WHO for prequalification of its vaccine. (afp)