MOSCOW: Russia plans to produce a form of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine that can be transported and stored at normal fridge temperatures as opposed to -18 Celsius, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Thursday. Such a move could help Russia in the global vaccine race by making it cheaper to store and transport Sputnik V, easing the logistical challenges posed by needing a colder supply chain and making it easier for developing nations to handle.
Murashko said one of six of its manufacturers had developed a form of the vaccine that was stable at a temperature of 2-8 Celsius in liquid form, though he gave no timeline for its production.
“The start of Sputnik V’s production with new storage conditions at one of our manufacturing platforms will allow us to expand coverage and increase the availability of the mass vaccination … for the population,” Murashko said.
Two sources close to the manufacturing process said the variant would be produced by private Russian firm…
