Poland does not plan to buy Russian vaccine, says minister

Reuters
Updated ·1 min read
COVID-19 vaccination in Mexico City

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland does not plan to buy Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the prime minister's top aide said on Thursday.

"When it comes to the Russian vaccine, we do not plan to buy such a vaccine, but when it comes to the Chinese vaccine, we are analysing this issue ... no decisions have been made on this matter," Michal Dworczyk told a news conference, without elaborating.

With delays in deliveries hampering vaccination programmes across the EU, Sputnik V has already been approved or is being assessed for approval in three states in the bloc's eastern wing - Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The European Union's drugs regulator has begun reviewing the Russian shot for possible approval.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has talked with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping about buying the Chinese COVID-19 shot, his aide told state-run news agency PAP on Monday. However, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said on Wednesday he did not currently recommend the jab due to a lack of data.

The European Commission said on Thursday that there were no talks under way about buying Sputnik V.

(Reporting by Alan Charlish, Anna Koper and Agnieszka Barteczko; Editing by Giles Elgood)