30 Dec 2020 19:54

RDIF to supply 2.6 mln Sputnik V vaccine doses to Bolivia

MOSCOW. Dec 30 (Interfax) - The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) will supply 2.6 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to Bolivia, the fund said.

"The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund) and the Health Supply Centre (Central de Abastecimiento y Suministros de Salud, CEASS) of the Plurinational State of Bolivia announce the agreement to supply the country with 2.6 million doses of Sputnik V, the world's first registered vaccine against coronavirus," RDIF said on Wednesday.

The agreement will make it possible to provide vaccine to over 20% of the population of the country. The vaccine for export will be produced by RDIF's international partners in India, China, South Korea, and other countries.

Batches of the Russian anti-coronavirus drug, Avifavir, were supplied to Bolivia earlier this year, RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev said.

"We look forward to widening our cooperation on the vaccine with other Latin American countries in the future," the fund quoted Dmitriev as saying.

A dose of the vaccine comprises two components; the second shot takes place in three weeks after the first one.

Bolivian President Luis Arce said that 5.2 million "items" of the vaccine were purchased, counting two components of each dose.

Therefore, this delivery will ensure that 2.6 Bolivians are protected from coronavirus.