Czech Health Minister Jan Blatny has refused to allow the use of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in his country without prior registration of the drug by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The politician said this to the deputies in the lower house of parliament, Czech TV reported, quoted by TASS.
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“I will not grant Sputnik V an exception to the current rules for the registration of medicines for use in the Czech Republic,” Blatny said. “My position will not change as long as I am a minister. Vaccination in the republic will be carried out only with preparations approved for use by the EMA.”
An exception for “Sputnik V” from the current rules in the European Union for the use of new drugs have been provided for use on its national territory only by the Ministries of Health of Hungary and Slovakia, Blatny reminded.
According to him, the Czech Republic has so far received 1,274,250 doses of vaccines approved for use in the EU. In March, 35,000 people will be vaccinated against the coronavirus in the country every day, and in April this number will increase at least twice. By the end of August, up to 85 percent of the population will be able to be vaccinated.
Earlier, President Milos Zeman said the Czech Republic expected the delivery of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, and Prime Minister Andrei Babis said his country could use the vaccine.
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