TASS, April 6. Guatemala’s authorities will buy a batch of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, President of the Central American country Alejandro Giammattei told reporters on Monday.

According to him, Guatemala has paid for a half of the Russian drug’s batch, La Hora newspaper reported. Guatemala’s authorities hope to get the first doses of Sputnik V not later than in 15 days, Giammattei said.

The Ministry of Health and Social Assistance has underlined the advantages of the Russian drug. "The Sputnik V vaccine, purchased by the Ministry of Health, ensures a longer immunity than [other] vaccines, which use one mechanism <...>," it wrote on its Twitter account.

In February, Guatemala’s Ministry of Health registered Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.

As of now, Sputnik V has been registered in 59 countries, home to over 1.5 bln people. In February, The Lancet medical journal published the results of Phase Three of Russia’s vaccine’s clinical trials, according to which it was one of the safest and most effective in the world. The drug’s efficiency hit 91.6%.