Matovic: Slovakia to lose millions of doses of Sputnik V if orders delayed

Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic has said that if Slovakia delays ordering doses of the Sputnik V vaccine until it is approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the State Medicines Supervision Institute, the country will lose the 2 million doses of the jab that he had agreed in talks with the Russian side. "Why should the two million vaccines be held in a warehouse if they can help us save thousands of lives in the meantime? [The Russian side] will supply them to somewhere where they have common sense and don't put politicking above the protection of lives and health," Matovic said on Facebook in reaction to Economy Minister Richard Sulik, who said on TV earlier in the day that Health Minister Marek Krajci should order the vaccine and authorise its use only after its registered by the EMA or a national authority.