Slovakia awaiting test results before purchasing Russian Covid vaccine
Robert Besser
12 May 2021, 20:46 GMT+10
Following successful testing in a Hungarian lab, Slovakia will discuss the purchase of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine with Moscow
Earlier, the Slovak State Institute for Drug Control said it had not been able to evaluate the Russian vaccine because it had not received enough information from the manufacturers
At that point, Hungary offered to evaluate the Russian-made vaccine to assist Slovakia
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia: Following successful testing in a Hungarian lab, Slovakia will discuss the purchase of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine with Moscow.
Slovakian Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky said he plans on talking to the Russian side about further developments on this issue, as reported by United Press International.
Slovakia has suspended the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 jab for first-time vaccinations. People who are waiting for the second dose of this vaccine are currently being vaccinated with Astra Zeneca, The Ministry of Health is currently considering several alternatives for how we will proceed in this matter in Slovakia. We are completing all expert opinions and will follow up on this later this week.
The decision comes after the country s State Institute for Drug Control (ŠÚKL) ruled that the death of a 47-year-old woman was likely connected to the jab.
In a statement,
issued on Friday, ŠÚKL said that it had determined the cause of death to be related to cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, a blood clotting disorder that sees clots form in the veins that drain blood from the brain.
The Latest: France welcomes EU curb on AstraZeneca vaccine
PARIS French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the decision from the European Union not to renew its order for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Macron said the EU policy is aiming at “responding in particular to the variants… We see that some other vaccines are more efficient.”
The bloc’s Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton, said Sunday the EU Commission has not ordered AstraZeneca shots for after June. Two weeks ago, the EU launched legal proceedings against the pharmaceutical group for allegedly failing to respect the terms of its contract.
South Africa halted earlier this year the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after preliminary data indicated it may be only minimally effective against the variant which is dominant in the country.
The Latest: EU doesn t renew order for AstraZeneca vaccine
A police officer stands guard in a business district to ensure a lockdown to help control the spread of the coronavirus, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, May 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan) May 09, 2021 - 5:54 AM
PARIS â The EU Commission did not renew its order for AstraZeneca s COVID-19 vaccine, the European Unionâs Internal Market Commissioner said Sunday.
âWe have not renewed the order for after June. Weâll see what will happen next,â Thierry Breton told French radio France Inter.
The announcement comes one day after the European Union cemented its support for Pfizer-BioNTech s vaccine by agreeing to a massive contract extension for a potential 1.8 billion doses through 2023.