Kenyans to Pay Sh11,000 to Get 2 Shots of Russian-Made COVID-19 Vaccine Sputnik V

Kenya has approved the emergency use of the Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V, which has a 92 percent efficacy rate.

The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) on Wednesday said it has granted Emergency Use Approval to a private pharmacy, making Sputnik V the first private vaccine consignment in the country.

” PPB Kenya has given Emergency Use Authorization to AstraZeneca vaccine and the Sputnik V vaccine after a successful evaluation process. This is not a registration,” the board said in a statement.

The board says it took into consideration all aspects of quality, safety, and efficacy in reviewing the Sputnik V vaccine, and concluded that it is wholesomely safe.

Kenyans will part with Sh11,000 to get the requisite two shots of the Sputnik V vaccine, which are administered 21 days apart.

Similar to other vaccines, Sputnik V uses a harmless cold-type virus as a carrier to carry a small portion of coronavirus into the body.

Once the body is exposed to a small fragment of the virus’s genetic code, it can recognize the threat and fight it off by producing antibodies that are specifically tailored to the coronavirus.

This means that once inoculated, the recipient’s immune system is ready to fight coronavirus.

Sputnik V, named after the first satellite launched into space by the Soviet Union, is among the three COVID-19 vaccines developed by Russia. The other two are EpiVacCorona and CoviVac.