The Latest: Slovakia receives 200K Sputnik V vaccine doses

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Hard-hit Slovakia has signed a deal to acquire 2 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.

Prime Minister Igor Matovic kept the purchase in secret and announced the deal Monday after a military cargo plane with 200,000 doses landed in eastern Kosice city.

He said the country will get one million shots in the next two months while another million will arrive in May and June.

Matovic’s coalition government originally rejected a plan to acquire Sputnik V vaccine doses in late February after one of his four coalition partners vetoed the move.

Health Minister Marek Krajci, whose decision made the deal possible, says authorities could begin administering the vaccine in about two weeks.

Slovakia is the second European Union nation after Hungary to use the Russian vaccine, which has not been approved by the European Medicines Agency.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— Calls grow for pharmaceutical companies to share vaccine know-how and technology more broadly to meet global shortfall

— Health experts are urging Pope Francis to reconsider his March trip to Iraq, which is experiencing a surge of coronavirus cases

— India is expanding its vaccination drive to older people and those with medical conditions that put them at risk

— In the U.S., fraud overwhelms some pandemic unemployment aid programs

— Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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