Empty vials of the second dose of the Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) vaccine at the San Martin hospital in La Plata on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, January 21, 2021. /Reuters
Russian authorities have authorized the one-dose Sputnik Light vaccine against COVID-19 for use, the vaccine developer said on Thursday.
"The single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine demonstrated 79.4 percent efficacy according to analyzed data taken from 28 days after the injection was administered," the statement said, noting that it was a part of Russia's mass vaccination program between December 5, 2020, and April 15, 2021.
"An efficacy level of almost 80 percent is higher than that of many two-dose vaccines," the developer said.
The vaccine has proven effective against all new strains of the coronavirus, as demonstrated by the Gamaleya Center during laboratory tests, it added.