Claiming to offer ‘sustainable immunity’ against the Coronavirus, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the world’s first coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday. Announcing that their country has been registered for use, Putin claimed that one of his daughters has been vaccinated today.
This came as good news for the global medical community even as the final stage of clinical trials to test safety and efficiency continue. Speaking at a government meeting Tuesday, President Putin said the vaccine, developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute, was safe and medical workers, teachers and other risk groups will be on priority to get inoculated.
On this note, Putin thanked everyone who worked on the vaccine’s development and described it as “a very important step for the world”. He ensured that the government would take measures to vaccinate at least 60 per cent of the Russian population by the end of this year.
In a recent media briefing, Russian health ministry Mikhail Murashko said mass vaccinations could begin by October as trials will continue while production is underway. More than 100 possible vaccines are being developed around the world to try to stop the coronavirus pandemic. At least four are in final Phase III human trials, according to WHO data.