BUENOS AIRES — Argentina has granted emergency approval for use of Russia’s Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine, the South American country’s health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, becoming the third country after Russia and Belarus to approve the vaccine. The first doses of Sputnik V were expected to arrive in Argentina over the days ahead, officials in both countries said. Hours earlier, Argentina joined the fast-growing list of countries around the world to approve the emergency use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine. Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund, told Reuters that Argentina would receive 300,000 doses of the Sputnik vaccine on Thursday. There was a big demand from Sputnik from other Latin American countries, Dmitriev said, adding he expected further news about Sputnik deliveries to the region in January.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 23, 2020 18:11 UTC