The Russian vaccine called ‘Sputnik V’ for the coronavirus has been released for public use. The Russian government registered the said vaccine on August 11.
The Russian government has released the vaccine called ‘Gam-COVID-Vac’ (Sputnik V) for public use. This is the first vaccine in the world to be used by the general public. Developed by Russia’s Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the vaccine can now be used for civilian consumption.
Ministry of Health allows the release of the Russian vaccine
After going through all the necessary safety steps and actions conducted by the laboratories of Roszdravnadzor, medical device regulator, the Ministry of Health in Russia has given its approval to release this vaccine against the coronavirus, which was first registered on August 11.
Furthermore, the vaccine’s delivery to local places is planned to be done soon by Russia’s government, starting from Moscow, the capital city.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin, has expressed his hope in distributing the vaccine to all parts of Moscow and other parts of Russia shortly and mentioned that a big part of Moscow’s population would be vaccinated the coming months.
The distribution of vaccine
DPA International reported that Russian Health Minister, Mikhail Murashko, has stated that the country will begin broad-scale provisions this September. The priority would be given to health care workers and teachers around the country.
Moreover, Murashko also mentioned that the vaccination would be voluntary and wouldn’t be compulsory if a person does not want it.
According to various reports, the vaccine was developed by a state laboratory and first tested on the lab’s workers and soldiers, solely based on those who volunteered to get the vaccine. No substantial side effects have been reported so far by any of the volunteers.
Besides, the vaccine has been named Sputnik, based on the first human-made satellite to achieve orbit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed the vaccine by saying one of his daughters has used it successfully, without any side effect worse than a slight, temporary fever.
Meanwhile, Russia has recorded over 1 million cases of the novel coronavirus, the world’s fourth-highest in countries with the highest number of COVID-19 patients. Russian officials claimed that at least 20 countries are interested in obtaining the Russian vaccine.
According to the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Russia will produce more than 1 billion doses a year in five countries.
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