Russian Vaccine Gets Second EU Buyer as Slovakia Seals Order

(Bloomberg) -- Slovakia will get 2 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia in a move the European Union member’s leader hailed as life-saving for its citizens.

Prime Minister Igor Matovic said his health minister will authorize the use of the shots on Monday, skirting the usual approval from the Slovak drug regulator. The virus “doesn’t know geopolitics,” he added.

Matovic’s administration has struggled to tame the pandemic and has seen his popularity slump just a year after he won power in elections. The country received the first batch of Russian vaccines on Monday and shipments will continue through June, he told reporters in Kosice, eastern Slovakia.

Slovakia is currently the world’s leader in coronavirus deaths per capita over a seven-day period, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The nation recorded 125.3 deaths per million citizens in the period, followed by the neighboring Czech Republic.

It is now second in the EU, joining Hungary in granting emergency approval of the Russian vaccine after the bloc’s campaign to inoculate its 450 million citizens fell far behind those of the U.S. and U.K.

Kirill Dmitriev, the chief executive officer of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said in a statement that other countries in the region are “also showing strong interest” in the vaccine.

Still, Hungary’s government said it was limiting the use of Sputnik V to help preserve trust in vaccinations. In Russia doubt is rising, with almost two thirds of people saying they won’t receive it, according to an opinion poll by the independent Levada Center.

Matovic said he hasn’t yet decided which shot he will get himself, saying he is open to all available options.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.