Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova to start a large-scale vaccination against coronavirus next week.
According to the head of state, he had previously discussed with Golikova and head of government Mikhail Mishustin the speed of production of drugs from COVID-19.
"I know that already more than two million doses have been or will be produced in the next few days, production of the first coronavirus vaccine registered in the world "Sputnik V" will reach this level. This gives us the opportunity to start, if not mass vaccination and, of course, as agreed, first of all, two risk groups - doctors and teachers," Putin said.
According to the President, the Russian industry is ready for large-scale vaccination.
"Let us <...> make this first step," the head of state said during the videoconference devoted to the opening of multifunctional medical centers of the Ministry of Defense.
Golikova, in her turn, stated that the country has possibilities "to start large-scale vaccination already in December". She added that the assessment of priority groups of the population is now underway.
As Health Minister Mikhail Murashko noted at the end of November, the coronavirus risk groups include medical workers, teachers, life support workers, as well as elderly people and those suffering from diabetes, obesity and hypertension. According to him, in 2021, the number of people vaccinated against coronavirus will reach several tens of millions. In turn, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that the vaccination against COVID-19 will be voluntary and gradual - taking into account the "geography of the country" and peculiarities of storage of the drug.
Vaccines against COVID-19
Russia registered two vaccines against COVID-19: first "Sputnik V", developed by specialists of the National Gamaleya Center with the support of the Russian Foundation for Research and Development on the basis of a well-studied platform of the human adenovirus vector, and later "EpiVakKorona" from the "Vector" center at Rospotrebnadzor (based on peptide antigens).
Now the drugs are undergoing the third post-registration phase of testing on volunteers (including elderly and chronically ill patients). "Sputnik V showed 95% efficiency after the second interim analysis of the research data and is on the list of ten global vaccines that are closest to mass production.
The head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, earlier reported that the institution had received applications from more than 20 countries for a billion doses of Sputnik V. Russia has agreed on production in five countries. More than 117 thousand doses have already been released into circulation, and by the end of the year, they plan to produce more than two million.
For the Russians vaccination as "EpiVakKorona" and "Sputnik V" will be free (they are not sold at retail).
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from RIA Novosti