RDIF: San Marino, Laos Approve Sputnik Light COVID-19 Vaccine

San Marino authorised the use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine in February and has since inoculated over 70 percent of its adult population with the jab. In Laos, the two-dose vaccine was authorised in March, approved under an emergency use authorisation procedure.

San Marino and Laos have approved the use of the Sputnik Light one-dose vaccine, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) revealed on Tuesday.

"The single-dose vaccine has also been approved in San Marino as a booster shot for all vaccines administered in the country," the fund said in a statement.

In Laos, Sputnik Light was approved under the emergency use authorization procedure, making the Asian nation "the twentieth country to authorise" the vaccine, the RDIF noted.

The Sputnik Light single-component COVID-19 vaccine (the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine) is not only being used independently but is also being studied in combination with medicines from other manufacturers.

According to the Gamaleya Centre, Sputnik Light administered as a single-shot jab showed 70 percent efficacy against the Delta variant during the first three months after vaccination. In those vaxxed who are younger than 60, the vaccine has demonstrated 75 percent effectiveness.

As a booster shot, Sputnik Light has demonstrated over 83 percent efficacy against infection and over 94 percent against hospitalisation, the RDIF said in the press release.

The two-dose Sputnik V vaccine was authorised in San Marino and Laos in February and in March, respectively.

Developed by the Gamaleya Centre, Sputnik V was registered in August 2020 and is the world's first COVID-19 vaccine. Since then, the shot has been approved for use in 70 countries; covering some four billion people. According to the data published in The Lancet, inoculation has shown an efficacy of 91.6 percent.