The Argentinian government expects to begin vaccinating its citizens on Tuesday, the government revealed on Sunday. The South American nation will do so using the Russian-manufactured Sputnik V vaccine, which was approved for emergency use by Argentinian health authorities.
Around 300,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine arrived in Argentina on Thursday, with more shipments expected to arrive at the beginning of 2021. Health personnel is the first in line to receive this vaccine, with all doses expected to be administered within the first 72 hours.
Up to 1.6 million cases of coronavirus have been detected in Argentina, with 42,501 people dying from the disease. Argentina is the third nation to approve the use of the Sputnik V vaccine after Russia and Belarus. The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine has also received use authorization.
The Sputnik V vaccine has been subject to much suspicion, with many Western health experts raising concern over the speed with which Russia had developed this vaccine candidate. The Russian government already approved emergency use of the vaccine before full trials had been completed, resulting in uncertainty surrounding the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
