Russia has announced its plan to conduct its first batch of mass deliveries of its vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) this month, Moscow Times reported.
According to the country’s Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, the country will be rolling out first batch of vaccines by for the month of September.
“First deliveries in large quantities will begin in September,” state-run TASS news agency quoted Murashko as saying.
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He added that the vaccination will be completely voluntary and that it will be shipped first to health workers and teachers.
The country’s Sputnik V vaccine is believed to be the world’s first approved vaccine, although experts have expressed concern as it has not undergone large-scale trials to prove its safety and effectiveness.
Murashko stressed that the large-scale production of the vaccine is already in the pipeline, and that they will constantly monitor its effectiveness.
The mass vaccination campaign in the country will begin in October, and that so far, about 2,500 of the 40,000 volunteers have been recruited for the Phase 3 of the trials.
“Several more vaccines are going through registration. We’ll reach maximum capacities in November-December,” Moscow Times quoted him Murashko as saying.
The government of Russia stressed that over 20 countries have requested for a billion doses of Sputnik V, and that it is expected to enter civilian circulation on January 1, 2021.
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