GERMANY MULLS TALKS WITH RUSSIA ONCE SPUTNIK V JAB IS OKAYED

Germany is set to conduct talks with Russia about potential delivery of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine should it be approved for German use, even as individual German states are starting to strike their own deals with Moscow, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Health Minister Jens Spahn on Thursday announced the talks about potential deliveries, should the jab be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is currently reviewing Sputnik V for authorization in the European Union (EU). Spahn urged caution, arguing the debate about Sputnik must not become a distraction, since Russia first needed to provide the data to the EU for authorization.

Once the vaccine gets the green light, Germany would speak to Russia directly, Spahn said. Until now, Germany has only procured vaccines via the EU, but the European Commission (EC) on Wednesday said it would not make central contracts to order Sputnik V like with other manufacturers.

"The EU has already jointly pre-ordered enough vaccines to inoculate its whole population, though member states still have the right to pursue parallel orders if they wish," European Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer said on Thursday.

Spahn also said that to make a real difference to the slow vaccination campaign in Germany, the Russian shots would have to arrive in the next few months, as afterward Germany had already secured enough vaccines. Meanwhile, some of Germany's 16 states are striking their deals with Russia. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, in the north, on Thursday said it had secured the option of receiving 1 million doses of Sputnik V to improve the speed of its vaccination campaign.

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