Health officials in Russia have approved a single-dose version of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the developers of the shot said.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which helped finance the vaccine, said in a statement that Sputnik Light “demonstrated 79.4 per cent efficacy” compared to 91.6pc for the two-shot Sputnik V.

The results, it said, were drawn from “data taken from 28 days after the injection was administered as part of Russia's mass vaccination programme between 5 December 2020 and 15 April 2021”.

The Russian vaccine has been approved for use in over 60 countries, according to AFP.

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