San Marino, the European microstate which will become the first country to be 100% vaccinated with Sputnik V

The Republic of San Marino, a small state on the Italian peninsula, began vaccinating its just over 30,000 inhabitants with a first batch of 7,500 doses of Sputnik V. The country will soon become the first to be 100% immune with this serum, as reported by the official account created to promote the Immunizer.

For the time being, 17.5% of the population has already been vaccinated of the country, according to figures from Our World in Data.

Controversy with Italy

The arrival of the Russian compound is preceded by a controversy over the breaking of an agreement between Italy and San Marino, since the first has promised to provide a vaccine out of 1,700 that it has received.

// The message from the Russian institute developing Sputnik V to Alberto Fernández: “Vaccination guarantees rapid recovery”

The objective was to immunize the inhabitants of this country who, on a daily basis, cross the borders and enter the territory of the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, where it is located.

San Marino Secretary of State for Health Roberto Ciavatta has defended the acquisition of Russian medicine because for the moment approved vaccines cannot be found on the official market by the European Medicines Agency.

As San Marino is not part of the European Union, it did not need to wait for validation from the European Medicines Agency to use the medicine.

“The people of San Marino have responded very well to the vaccination. I must add that interest in the Sputnik V vaccine has also been very strong in Italy and not just with hundreds of calls and even emails asking for the possibility of arriving and being vaccinated in San Marino “, a he declared to the Russian agency Sputnik the medical director of the San Marino Social Security Institute, Sergio Rabini.

The Sputnik V vaccine is 91.6% effective, according to a study published in the journal medical The Lancet. “The main side effects that have occurred are flu-like symptoms (around 15.2%) and injection site reactions (around 5.4%),” Rabini said.

Russia asks Slovakia to return doses of Sputnik V

In a strange controversy, the Russian government asked Slovakia to return the 200,000 doses he received the Sputnik V vaccine after the Slovak regulator said it lacked sufficient data to support its effectiveness.

In a report, the Slovak regulatory body argued that the material provided was not identical to that described in the medical journal The Lancet.

The Russian Fund for Direct Investment has officially asked Slovakia to return the lot “so that it can be used in other countries.” This is indicated by a letter sent on April 6 in which “multiple breaches of the contract” are alleged, according to the official Twitter account of Sputnik V.

In this sense, he even considers that there was an “act of sabotage” on the part of the Slovak regulator, which he accuses of launching a “campaign of disinformation”, with “false news”.

// Vaccine tourism ?: The Sputnik V campaign which caused a sensation on social networks

“All Sputnik V batches are of the same quality and pass exhaustive quality control at the Gamaleya Institute. The quality of Sputnik V has been confirmed by regulators in 59 countries, ”the account notes.

Germany discusses Sputnik V

Germany, for its part, on Thursday expressed its intention to discuss with Moscow possible deliveries of its vaccine, Sputnik V, without waiting for the EU to authorize it.

“I explained to the EU Council of Health Ministers that we would discuss bilaterally with Russia, to find out when and what quantities could be delivered,” said German Health Minister Jens Spahn, who also said that the European Commission did not want to negotiate the purchase of Sputnik V on behalf of the community bloc.