Before the Russian vaccine was recognized, “some administrative procedures remained,” Health Minister Mikhail Murashko told reporters after a meeting with US officials in Geneva.
According to Murashko, Russia’s position on the registration and promotion of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine has been fully heard, RIA Novosti reports.
“Now it is necessary that the company that is registering the vaccine at the WHO site, sign a number of documents, provide additional papers,” said the head of the Russian Ministry of Health, adding that the United States is interested in mutual recognition of vaccination certificates.
WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus, according to Murashko, confirmed that there are no obstacles for further work.
The Sputnik V vaccine has not yet been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) medical regulator. WHO has suspended the approval process for the drug due to problems at one of its manufacturing facilities. The EU regulator said that the manufacturer did not provide enough documents proving the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the regulator has no comments on the Russian vaccine and the drug is undergoing examination.
Meanwhile, tour operators have begun to offer Russians vaccine tours to Croatia, where they can be vaccinated against coronavirus with WHO-approved drugs, Interfax reported, citing Maya Lomidze, executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia.
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