Tests of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for the European Union will begin in Rome at the Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute of Infectious Diseases. This was announced by the governor of the Italian metropolitan area of Lazio Nicola Zingaretti, newspaper La Repubblica writes.
According to him, a corresponding agreement with the scientific center will be signed in a few days “as part of a study on the effectiveness against varieties of the virus.” Zingaretti added that formal approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is also expected.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi supported the opinion of German Chancellor Angela Merkel that countries can independently purchase Sputnik V if the European Union does not come to a common decision on the issue. On March 17, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called on the EMA to admit the Russian vaccine to the European market as soon as possible.
Earlier in Europe, there were problems with the vaccine from AstraZeneca. After the injection of the drug, several people died, some of the vaccinated developed thrombosis, and the company itself cannot cope with the supply of the promised number of doses of the drug.
