Brazil bans Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine due to carrying live cold virus: report
Analysis indicated that the adenovirus on which the vaccine is based has the capacity to replicate
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Health regulators in Brazil announced the country’s intention to ban Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine after they said they found traces of the live common cold-causing virus in the drug, reports said.
Angela Rasmussen, the country’s top virologist, told the AFP that the discovery raises concerns about the "integrity of the manufacturing process."
Her agency said in a statement that analysis indicated that the adenovirus on which the vaccine is based has the capacity to replicate, which could cause sickness or death, particularly among those with low immunity or respiratory problems.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Russian Direct Investment Fund said in a three-page statement that "no replication-competent adenoviruses were ever found in any of the Sputnik V vaccine batches produced."
The Associated Press contributed to this report