The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund) announces the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine has demonstrated 96.3% efficacy and high safety profile based on a new study of vaccinated individuals in the Republic of Belarus.

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An article analysing the efficacy of the Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus during a vaccination campaign in Belarus has been published on the medRxiv preprint server for health sciences. The efficacy of Sputnik V was measured based on data from more than 1.2 million people vaccinated with two components of the vaccine between January and September 2021.

The high efficacy of Sputnik V is confirmed on the background of the Delta variant being prevailing in Belarus since July 2021. The study also confirmed the high safety profile of Sputnik V: Reported adverse events following vaccination were mild or moderate; No deaths related to the vaccination.

New data complement previous data on the high efficacy and safety of Sputnik V during the vaccination campaign in Belarus between January and July 2021 showing the Russian vaccine has demonstrated 97.2% efficacy against coronavirus based on data from more than 860,000 people.

Belarus was the first foreign country to register Sputnik V and use it for the vaccination of the population. RDIF and partners have facilitated the technology transfer to localise the production of Sputnik V by Belarus's Belmedpreparaty company, which is successfully manufacturing Sputnik V. In April 2021 the vaccine produced in Belarus was authorised by the Ministry of Health.

In April 2021 the single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine (the first component of Sputnik V based on human adenovirus serotype 26) was also registered in Belarus.