ROME – Russia today complained about the lack of international recognition for its Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine at a G20 summit where leaders agreed to step up global inoculation efforts.
“Despite the decisions of the G20, not all countries in need can have access to anti-Covid-19 vaccines,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in video message comments to counterparts that were retransmitted on Russian state television.
“This happens mainly because of dishonest competition, protectionism, and because some states – especially those of the G20 – are not ready for mutual recognition of vaccines and vaccination certificates,” Putin added.
In an apparent reference to the failure of Russia’s Sputnik V to win foreign regulatory approval, Putin urged G20 health ministers to discuss the mutual recognition of vaccines and vaccination certificates “as soon as possible”.
Earlier this month, South Africa refused to approve the Russian jab despite the country’s dire need for vaccines, claiming it could increase the risk of HIV infections among men.
Sputnik V also lacks regulatory approval in the European Union and the United States.
Chinese President Xi Jinping – who also did not travel to Rome for the summit, participating via video link instead – made a similar call for the mutual recognition of vaccines, according to Chinese state media.
Rising cases
Putin and Xi were said to have avoided travelling to Italy due to tightening Covid-19 restrictions in their home countries.
In Russia, where new cases are spiking despite the availability of the Sputnik V jab, Putin ordered a week-long paid holiday starting today in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.
Russian authorities today said daily infection numbers had risen to 40,251, a record since the start of the pandemic, with only 32.5% of the population fully vaccinated.
At the G20, summit host and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said the international community is “very close to meeting the World Health Organisation’s target of vaccinating 40% of the global population by the end of 2021”.
“Now, we must do all we can to reach 70% by mid-2022,” he added.
According to a source following the summit discussions, “all the leaders” agreed to commit to the target set out by Draghi.
The Italian prime minister said while more than 70% of individuals in developed countries have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, the percentage drops to around 3% in the poorest parts of the world.
“These differences are morally unacceptable, and undermine the global recovery,” he said.
The two-day summit in Rome of G20 leaders – their first meeting in person since the global Covid-19 pandemic – also included climate change and threats to the global economic recovery on the agenda.
Their meeting was preceded on Friday by G20 finance and health ministers’ discussions, in which they also cited the urgency of meeting the 70% vaccination target by the middle of next year.
To meet the objective, they committed to “take steps to help boost the supply of vaccines, and essential medical products and inputs in developing countries, and remove relevant supply and financing constraints.” – AFP, October 30, 2021
