Russia begins mass immunization against Covid, even without completing vaccine tests | National newspaper

In the early hours of Saturday, 5,000 Russians signed up to receive the Sputnik vaccine, the same day the country broke another record for new Covid cases.

The first to be immunized will be teachers, health professionals and social workers at 70 vaccination centers in Moscow.

Nurse Natalia said she decided to get vaccinated to protect her family members.

For now, people over 60, people with chronic diseases and pregnant women will not participate in the campaign.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order to start vaccination on Wednesday (2), shortly after the vaccine was approved by Pfizer and BioNTech in the UK.

In August, Russia became the first country to approve the registration of an anti-Covid vaccine, even before the start of phase three tests, generating enormous distrust in the international scientific community. And last month, Russian researchers published a tentative analysis of the data from that final phase. They claim that the vaccine proved to be 95% effective.

In other European countries, there is also an expectation of vaccination, which should start in January. But before the plan kicks in, authorities have another concern: the Christmas season.

In Portugal, the government renewed the state of emergency for another 15 days and announced strict rules for New Year’s Eve, with no parties open to the public or circulation between cities.

Authorities also say that basic preventive measures will continue until 70% of the Portuguese are vaccinated, which should happen until the middle of next year.