The Russian Health Ministry registered FMBA's Convasel vaccine on Friday.
"Stealth Omicron [BA.2], which has already taken over BA.1 Omicron variant in Moscow, differs by 28 mutations. These mutations are mainly found in the S-protein and in non-structural proteins, they do not affect the N-protein in those blocks that are used for the vaccine, so the vaccine will be effective, and we are already seeing this now," Skvortsova told Rossiya 24 broadcaster.
The BA.2 subvariant was nicknamed "stealth Omicron" because it doesn't show up on PCR tests as an S-gene target failure the way Omicron does. Health experts have also warned that the variant may be more transmissible and cause worse symptoms than BA.1.
Sputnik V is Russia's and the world's pioneer COVID-19 vaccine, registered in August 2020. The two-dose vaccine has a single-dose version, Sputnik Light, and a version for teenagers, Sputnik M. Russia also produces three other COVID-19 vaccines, including Covivac, EpiVacCorona and EpiVacCorona N.