(Bloomberg) -- Sweden expects to get some doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine from June as the Nordic nation is coordinating the procurement with “several” other European Union nations.
Sweden could get a “limited” number of Sputnik vaccine doses, vaccine coordinator Richard Bergstrom told a news conference in Stockholm on Friday, citing talks with Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian Direct Investment Fund. While discussions are under way on volumes and prices, Bergstrom doesn't expect “large” amounts “as they don't have that capacity,” he added.
“The intention is to have an agreement in place for if/when the vaccine gets approved in the EU,” Bergstrom said.
While immunizations have lagged in EU, the bloc's regulators are still reviewing Sputnik's application and the process could take several months, leading some nations to undertake their own checks to accelerate approval. Earlier this month, the Russian vaccine generated a scandal in the Slovak Republic, where the local drug regulator questioned the quality of the jab.
In neighboring Finland, the foreign ministry has started work on approaching Russia for talks on obtaining the Sputnik vaccines for Finland, Krista Kiuru, the minister in charge of the pandemic response, said at question hour in parliament on Thursday. The approach is in line with the EU agreement on common procurement, because the EU has made no deals with the manufacturer of the Sputnik vaccines, she said.
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