Russian Federation aluminium titan U.C. Rusal announced on Thursday that it has delivered a batch of Sputnik V vaccine to Guinea. The Sputnik V vaccine is the first registered vaccine against the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19.
A delegation of Russian government officials and Rusal representatives delivered the batch of 10 thousand doses of Sputnik V to Ibrahima Kalil Kaba, Guinea’s foreign affairs minister, at the airport in Conakry. Along with the COVID-19 vaccine, Rusal transferred to the Guinean government various medical consumables for use in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
This delivery of medical supplies for COVID-19 relief is Rusal’s third such delivery. In July the firm sent an aircraft with medical equipment and consumables, and last fall Rusal delivered a pair of new ambulances that include ventilators and other resuscitation devices.
Yakov Itskov, Director of RUSAL’s Alumina Business, said in a press release that this delivery of COVID-19 vaccine is the latest chapter in a long history between his firm and the Guinean government.
“RUSAL has been successfully operating in Guinea for 20 years and has traditionally supported Guinean healthcare. We fought Ebola together, and now we are fighting a new coronavirus infection. The delivery of the Sputnik V vaccine to Guinea is another important step in strengthening relations between our countries.”
Rusal notes that it was the first private company to aid Guineans in the fight against Ebola by building a research and treatment center in Kindia. The center was recently used for the treatment and diagnosis of coronavirus as well. Last summer the firm constructed a multifunctional medical center in Fria that has since been used for a number of infectious diseases, including coronavirus.