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South Africa's drugs regulator has said that it was not approving an emergency use application for Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 shot for now, citing concerns about its safety for people at risk of HIV, according to Reuters.
South Africa has one of the world's highest HIV burdens, and some studies have suggested that the administration of vaccines using the Adenovirus Type 5 (Ad5) vector — which Sputnik V does — can lead to higher susceptibility to HIV in men.
SAHPRA, the regulator, said it had asked for data demonstrating Sputnik V was safe in settings with high HIV prevalence, but that it had not received enough to establish this.
