Lebanon Set To Receive 1st Batch Of Russian Sputnik V Vaccine Next Week - Business Council

BEIRUT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th March, 2021) The first batch of Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V is expected to arrive in Lebanon next week, Chairman of the Lebanese-Russian business Council Jacques Sarraf told Sputnik on Thursday.

"The first batch of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V will arrive in Lebanon next week," Sarraf said, adding that the delivery will be conducted under a deal with a private pharmaceutical company, Pharmatrade.

Lebanon will pay $38 per two doses, the chairman said.

A scientific commission under the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health approved the use of Sputnik V in early February.

Beirut asked Moscow to provide 200,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine in the form of assistance, with further doses set to be procured through private companies, as the country cannot allocate public funds for this purpose.

Apart from Sputnik V, Lebanon greenlighted the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and China's Sinopharm for mass use.

To date, the middle Eastern country has reported some 427,000 COVID-19 cases, including over 5,500 deaths and more than 335,000 recoveries.