"Use of the Sputnik V vaccine in Slovakia isn't an expression of courage or proof of a diplomatic success. It is in fact a resignation in terms of the rules that we've been observing on issues concerning medicine," President Zuzana Čaputová stated on Tuesday following her meeting with head of the State Institute for Supervision of Medicines Zuzana Baťová.
Čaputová claimed that she'll respect the decision of those who'll choose to be vaccinated with Sputnik, but at the same time said that she won't support the mass use of the vaccine, given the fact that it hasn't been officially registered.
According to Čaputová, it remains to be seen whether the purchase of Sputnik V has damaged Slovakia's prospects of receiving already-registered vaccines from its European partners in the future. "We've been listening for weeks that we shouldn't engage in geopolitical games when it comes to vaccines and then, when the Sputnik V vaccine came to Slovakia, it was given a lavish welcome," noted Čaputová, adding that the solution to the problem is that the European Medicines Agency be asked (EMA) to register the vaccine.
Baťová stated that the use of the unregistered Sputnik V vaccine entails a large amount of risk, adding that the State Institute for Supervision of Medicines hasn't yet received materials it needs to familiarise itself with the quality and safety of the jab. According to her, this is an unprecedented situation in the institute's history.
The president stated in this context that the attending doctors will be fully responsible for all adverse effects the vaccine might cause. "When it comes to Sputnik, there's no state authority that can guarantee its safety," she said.
The Sputnik V vaccine will be used in Slovakia as an unregistered medicine under special permission granted by the Health Ministry.
