Germany: Angela Merkel would be ready to analyze the Sputnik V vaccine

The German Chancellor Angela MerkelHe said he was ready to consider using Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, while trying to allay concerns about the country’s vaccination program against covid-19.

In a rare TV appearance on Tuesday, Merkel said the Russian vaccine could be used to protect people in the European Union, provided it is pre-approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

“I spoke to the Russian president specifically about it,” Merkel said.

It was the first time she had been interviewed in prime time since June, when Germany approved measures to offset the economic consequences of the pandemic. And it happened shortly after the medical journal The Lancet to publish interim review of clinical trial which demonstrated that the Sputnik V vaccine was very effective against covid-19.

According to the scientific journal The Lancet, Sputnik V is 91.6% effective

“Today we received good data on the Russian vaccine,” Merkel said in an interview with the public broadcaster ARD. “All vaccines are welcome in the EU, but only after they have been approved by the EMA,” he said.

The Chancellor and her government have been criticized for allowing Germany to hand over responsibility for negotiating vaccine contracts to the European Commission. Later delays slowed vaccine delivery to Germany and the rest of European countries, causing them to lag behind countries like the United States and Britain.

Merkel took the opportunity of the interview to reiterate her pledge that all Germans will receive a first dose of the covid-19 vaccine by the end of September, provided the drugmakers meet their delivery commitments.

Sputnik V: 4.7% of people vaccinated had side effects, but none serious

Even if no new vaccines are approved, supplies will be sufficient despite previous delays, he said Monday after talks with pharmaceutical executives, ministers, the country’s 16 state prime ministers and officials in the country. European Commission.

Germany has vaccinated about 3 in 100 people, compared to 10 in the US and almost 15 in the UK, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. As Britain and the United States began vaccinating several weeks earlier thanks to faster approval, Germany’s advance has been hampered by supply issues.