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Sputnik V vaccine was first approved in Russia in 2020 and later in 64 countries. It is also called as Gam-COVID-Vac. This is the first vaccine in the world to be authorized for use against Covid-19 Including India and believed to be safe and works similarly as Oxford-AstraZeneca jab which is being made in India as Covishield.

Sputnik V is a adenovirus two-vector viral vaccine with an efficacy rate of 91.6%, published in Lancet. Adenoviruses are a type of virus which causes common cold and other illnesses and serve to produce the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the body. Vaccination triggers the production of antibodies against this spike protein, preparing the immune system to fight potentially against infection. 

 The Russian vaccines uses two different types of recombinant adenovirus i.e types 26 and 5, with the purpose to lower the  possibility of antibodies development in the body against the adenovirus after the first dose, which could make the second dose ineffective as reported. 

• The first dose given with type-26 (Ad26-1st days
• The second or booster dose given with type-5 (Ad5)-21st day

Common side effects

Common side-effects have been observed and published in The Lancet, February 202, from phase 3 clinical trial data. Some of them were: 

• Fatigue
• Flu-like illness
• Headache 
• Injection-site reactions

As per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these above mentioned side-effects are similar to those of Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines. 

Serious Side-effects

Some of the serious side-effects have also been reported after vaccination in the study but none of these given below are related to vaccine.  includes:

• Deep vein thrombosis
• Hemorrhagic stroke
• Hypertension

Risk associated to Vaccine

Despite the data available, there is still a many controversy surrounding the vaccine. Some of them are: 

Replication risks and the common cold

Adenoviruses, in their natural state, are able to replicate in the body and lead to common cold and other illness but when it is used in Sputnik V vaccines, the E1 gene was removed from the vaccine to prevent replication. However, Brazil recently rejected the use of Sputnik V with concerns around replication. 

Risks of HIV vulnerability

The other concern was raised by researcher for incorporating Ad5 into Covid-19 vaccines

According to a 2008 study, the adenovirus Ad5 found within Covid-19 vaccines may be associated with an increased risk of HIV acquisition and researchers advise precaution against the use of Ad5-based COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in areas having high number of HIV and AIDS cases.

Distribution and Vaccination

Along with Russia, more than 50 countries have also ordered for the vaccine. Based on reports, many countries including India have given its emergency use authorization. On April 12th , 2021, India approved the use of Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use against COVID-19 based on strong immunogenicity data.