PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PLANS TO BUY 100,000 DOSES OF RUSSIAN COVID-19 VACCINE

Wed 27 January 2021:

Palestine on Wednesday said it plans to buy 100,000 doses of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine in February.

The Palestinian health ministry has approved the main Russian vaccine against COVID-19, known as Sputnik V, for use in Palestinian self-ruled territory, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund said earlier this month.

The first shipment of the shot is expected to arrive next month, with all deliveries expected in the first quarter of this year, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is responsible for marketing the vaccine abroad.

Outside Russia, where authorities say over a million people have now been inoculated with Sputnik V, the vaccine has also been approved for emergency use by local regulators in Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia and Serbia, RDIF has said.