Sputnik Light and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Vaccines to be Available Soon in Venezuela

On Tuesday, May 11, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced that the Russian Sputnik Light vaccine and the Janssen vaccine, developed by the US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, will soon be available in Venezuela.

Both vaccines were developed as single dose injections which will speed up vaccination throughout the country.

This announcement was made during the launch of Vaccination Week 2021. President Maduro expressed that, in regard to the COVID-19 immunization of the Venezuelan population, his government aims to have “an acceleration of mass vaccination” in the month of May, which will continue during the months of June, July and August.

• Sputnik Light has a  79.4% efficacy starting from the 28th day after its application, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund that approved the use of this vaccine.
• Scientific journal The Lancet has set the effectiveness of the Janssen vaccine at 76.7%.

To date, Venezuela has received 1.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, consisting of the Russian Sputnik V, and the Chinese Vero Cell developed by Sinopharm. Caracas has also made agreements to produce the Cuban Abdala vaccine, with which vaccination campaign has already started in Havana. In addition, Venezuela is participating in Russia’s EpiVacCorona clinical trials, and President Maduro has already indicated that this vaccine will be acquired after the completion of the trials.

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Vaccination of the Americas 2021 campaign
During the televised broadcast of the launch of the vaccination campaign, Health Minister Carlos Alvarado gave a balance of the vaccination campaigns that will be carried out in the country this year. He explained that 5,440 vaccination centers have been arranged nationwide, and that 12 vaccines for different diseases will be given to children and pregnant women, free of charge.

The goal of the vaccination strategy is to reach the immunization of one million children, informed the health authority.

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Alvarado also affirmed that Venezuela is a territory free of measles and diphtheria, certified as such by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). “Since 2019 we have had no cases of measles, and since the third week of 2020 no diphtheria case has been reported either. This has been possible thanks to our permanent vaccination policy,” he highlighted.