Russia to Miss Covid-19 Vaccine Goal Amid Production Hurdles

Russia is going to miss its target of making 30 million doses of an experimental Covid-19 vaccine this year due to setbacks maintaining the serum’s stability while expanding production.

“The main task is to scale up production,” Industry Minister Denis Manturov said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “To have 30 million doses by year-end is impossible, it is nonsense.”

The Kremlin has pinned great hopes on the Sputnik V vaccine, which President Vladimir Putin promotes as the first registered inoculation in the world, to help establish Russia as a leader in the race to subdue the global coronavirus pandemic. ...