BUENOS AIRES, April 26. /TASS/. Argentina’s Richmond company continues to prepare for a full-cycle production of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, the Clarin newspaper reported on Monday.

Its source, commenting on the situation around the full-cycle production of Sputnik V and other vaccines at the company’s new factory, said that the "activity on technology transfer was not suspended." According to the source, the factory will launch operations "this October or November."

The source said that the company is also considering producing vaccines "both from the US and from Europe and Asia" at the new factory.

Before the new factory opens, Richmond may produce Sputnik V from the active substance sent from Russia. According to the newspaper, currently the company has suspended production because the government is not sending new requests for Sputnik V. "We have 1.4 mln doses of the vaccine stored and we can produce more when asked," the source said.

In early February, Argentine Health Minister Carla Vizzotti told journalists that the country may receive the doses of Sputnik V remaining under the contract with the Russian Direct Investment Fund not from Russia but from Richmond. She said that Argentina asked Russia not to send new batches since the country has enough vaccines stored.

Sputnik V is the first vaccine against coronavirus that Argentina obtained. On December 23, 2020, the country’s regulator issued a permit for the jab’s emergency use and on December 29, the republic began to inoculate its healthcare workers. Last June, Richmond began local production with the use of the active substance sent from Russia.