Russia names its new Covid-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V'

Moscow

RUSSIA has named its first approved Covid-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V' for foreign markets, a reference to the world's first satellite and what Moscow sees as its success at becoming the first country to approve a vaccine, a top official said on Tuesday.

Kirill Dmitriev, head of the country's RDIF sovereign wealth fund, said Russia had already received requests from more than 20 countries for one billion doses of its newly-registered Covid-19 vaccine. He was speaking after President Vladimir Putin announced the approval after less than two months of human testing.