Another consignment of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccines for COVID-19 arrived at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) at Timehri, at around 08:30 hrs on morning.

Some 5,000 second doses of the vaccine came to Guyana via an Amerijet aircraft.

Sputnik V, unlike the AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines, has a second dose that is different from the first dose. Initially, the country had been administering this second dose some four weeks after the first dose, but that has been extended to about 12 weeks now.

This is due to information provided by the Gamaleya Research Centre, which developed the Sputnik V vaccine. The centre, in a press statement, said it is possible to increase the minimum interval between the first and second vaccine shots from the earlier approved 21 days up to three months.

Earlier shipments of 5,000 second doses of this vaccine arrived previously and the local health authorities have been distributing the vaccine doses to the various regions for administration to people who are due for their second dose.