TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Wiku Adisasmito, Spokesman for the national COVID-19 Task Force, said the Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, is designed to be used in individuals aged 18 years and above.

The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) had issued an emergency use authorization for the vaccine developed by the Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Russia.

“The Sputnik vaccine is for people aged 18 years and above and is administered intramuscularly at a dose of 0.5 ml,” said Wiku at a press conference on Thursday, August 26.

He added that the vaccine is given twice with an interval of three weeks or 21 days

Other than Sputnik, the BPOM has granted the emergency use authorization for Sinovac, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer to date.

Wiku explained a vaccine product is declared safe and effective after various stages of testing and evaluation. “Statistically, only seven out of 100 or about 0.07 percent of vaccine candidates are considered able to proceed to the stage of clinical trials on humans,” he said.

As reported previously, the BPOM head Penny K Lukito said the most common side effects of Sputnik V are flu-like syndrome, which is indicated by fever, chills, joint pain (arthralgia), muscle pain (myalgia), weakness (asthenia), discomfort, headache, hyperthermia, or a local reaction at the injection site.

Read: BPOM Approves Emergency Use of Russia's Sputnik V

ANTARA | DEWI NURITA