Russian scientists develop modified ‘Sputnik V’ vaccine for Delta variant

Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute has developed a modified version of the “Sputnik V” vaccine for the Delta variant, says the research institute’s director, Alexander Gintsburg.

“There is already a vaccine design in the refrigerator,” he said, as quoted by Interfax on Thursday, August 19.

At the same time, Gintsburg noted that whether this new version of the vaccine is more effective against the Delta strain remains to be seen. 

Since June, Russia has seen a spike in coronavirus cases and an increase in mortality from COVID-19, against the backdrop of the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. This strain accounts for more than 95 percent of coronavirus cases detected in Russia, said the head of Vector Research Center, Rinat Maksyutov, on July 30. 

According to data from the State Statistics Service (Rosstat), Moscow registered 16,406 deaths in June 2021 — 7,138 more than in June 2019. This marked the highest increase in deaths in Moscow in a single month since the start of the pandemic. The Mayor’s Office linked the high mortality rate in June to the Delta strain and heat waves.