WHO has said approval for Sputnik is under review after issues at a production plant
A woman leaves after receiving the Pfizer vaccine at Belgrade Fair’s makeshift centre in Belgrade, Serbia. Pic/AFP
When Russian regulators approved the country’s homegrown Coronavirus vaccine, it was a moment of national pride, and the Pavlov family was among those who rushed to take the injection. But international health authorities have not yet given their blessing to the Sputnik V shot.
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So when the family from Rostov-on-Don wanted to visit the West, they looked for a vaccine that would allow them to travel freely—a quest that brought them to Serbia, where hundreds of Russian citizens have flocked in recent weeks to receive Western-approved Covid-19 shots.
Serbia, which is not a member of the European Union, is a convenient choice for vaccine-seeking Russians because they can enter the allied Balkan nation without visas and because it offers a wide choice of Western-made shots. Organised tours for Russians have soared, and they can be spotted in the capital, Belgrade, at hotels, restaurants and bars. “We took the Pfizer vaccine because we want to travel around the world,” Nadezhda Pavlova, 54, said after receiving the vaccine last weekend.
Vaccination tour packages for Russians seeking shots endorsed by the World Health Organisation appeared on the market in mid-September, according to Russia’s Association of Tour Operators. Maya Lomidze, the group’s executive director, said prices start at $300 to $700, depending on what’s included.
Lauded by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the world’s first registered Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V emerged in August 2020 and has been approved in some 70 countries, including Serbia.
Australia plans to bring int’l healthcare workers to fight Covid
The Australian government on Saturday revealed a plan to bring thousands of international healthcare workers into the country to relieve pressure on the healthcare system amid the ongoing battle against the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
An Australian police officer stops an anti-masker at a rally. Pic/AFP
Under the plan, which was announced by Health Minister Greg Hunt, about 2,000 doctors and nurses mainly from Britain and Ireland will be exempted from strict travel restrictions to take up jobs in Australia as the country’s international border is expected to re-open in November.
Hunt described it as a “one-off boost” for the health system after he rejected a plea from state and territory governments for more hospital funding to cope with a surge in Coronavirus cases. “This will be a one-off boost to provide additional support. The Commonwealth is committed to it and the states are working constructively with us on it,” he told the local media.
Kenya receives 8 lakh doses of AstraZeneca
Kenya has received 1,60,000 doses of AstraZeneca from Slovakia, as well as 7,00,000 doses of the vaccine from France and Germany donated through the COVAX Facility. Henriette Geiger, Head of Delegation of the EU to Kenya, said Team Europe has from the start shown vaccine solidarity with Kenya and the world, and has always allowed the export of vaccines to middle and lower-income countries. Kenya’s Covid-19 positivity rate is now at 2.8 per cent.
23,81,01,394
TOTAL Number OF CORONAVIRUS
CASES IN THE WORLD
48,59,621
Number OF DEATHS WORLDWIDE
21,52,42,674
Number OF RECOVERED PATIENTS
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