Russia Develops Delta & Omicron-Adapted Sputnik V Vaccine

Moscow: Russia’s Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology (Gamaleya Center) and the Russian Direct Investment Fund announced the development of the Sputnik V vaccine specifically adapted against Delta and Omicron variants of coronavirus.

Over the course of the pandemic, the Gamaleya Center has been consistently studying the new emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 and adapting Sputnik V to them accordingly.

The new version of Sputnik V has been Delta- and Omicron-adapted as Omicron is currently the dominant variant around the globe. This new version is also addressing the L-452-R mutation in the Omicron BA5 variant which was not present in the BA1 variant.

“The Delta and Omicron-adapted version of Sputnik V is the most promising version of the vaccine specifically adapted to new variants as compared to those tailored against the combination of the original strain and Omicron variant. The Sputnik V vaccine adapted against the Delta and Omicron variants provides for a significant reduction in the viral load in the lungs of animals infected with the Omicron BA5 variant,” the Russian medical research institute said in a statement.