Hospital chain Manipal Hospitals has expanded its vaccination drive to also provide Sputnik V apart from Covaxin and Covishield. Manipal Hospitals is part of the limited soft launch by Dr Reddy's Laboratories.
Sputnik V is a joint venture between Dr Reddy's Laboratories and Russian Direct Investment Fund(RDIF). "We are expecting the vaccine to be available for the public soon in the latter half of the month," said Karthik Rajagopal, COO, Manipal Health Enterprises Pvt Ltd.
Manipal Hospitals has invested in creating a robust cold chain storage infrastructure as the vaccine needs to be stored in minus 18⁰ centigrade.
“We are pleased to collaborate with Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru as we scale up our soft pilot launch of the Sputnik V vaccine in India and extend it to more cities ahead of the commercial launch later in June. In the upcoming months we hope to inoculate as many Indians as possible," M.V. Ramana, CEO – Branded Markets (India & Emerging Markets), Dr. Reddy’s said.