MOSCOW, July 5. /TASS/. Russia plans to produce about 30 mln anti-COVID-19 vaccine sets per month in July-September, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said in an interview with TASS, adding that later production would be increased and might eventually total up to 45 mln sets per month by the end of the year.
"We plan to hit the production figure of 30 million sets in July and this figure will be approximately the same for August and September," Manturov said. The number of two-component vaccine doses will depend particularly on the final request from the Health Ministry on the production of one-component Sputnik Light vaccine.
"Whereas in October, or in November at the latest, we will try to launch additional capacities at Biokad and Generium. The equipment has already been ordered, and it will be installed starting the end of August or the beginning of September. We will expand several production facilities, and we plan to open one more facility at Generium. This may ensure an increase of almost 50% compared with today’s volume," he said. "We expect that," he said when asked whether it means that Russia would be able to produce 40-45 mln vaccine sets by the yearend.
The production volume of vaccines will particularly depend on the vaccination process, on whether the vaccine will be put on the national calendar, whether some volumes will become available for export, according to the minister. "We should also bear in mind that there are established production sites abroad, in India, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Serbia, Argentina. They already operate, and the substance should be sent there," he said.