Russia shocked the world last month when it claimed that it has become the first country to create a vaccine for the coronavirus disease. And now, one of the country’s top officials has said that the Covid-19 vaccine will be released for civilian use starting this week.
The “Sputnik-V” vaccine will be launched for widespread use after the country’s Health Ministry grants permission for its widespread use, expert Denis Logunov was quoted as saying by Russia’s TASS news agency.
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“Your exam will begin in a few days. Also, in a few days we will obtain the permit. There is a certain procedure to authorize a lot for civil use. You must pass the quality control of the medical watchdog Roszdravnadzor. In a few days, between September 10 and 13, we will obtain permission to release a batch of the vaccine for civil use. Respectively, from that moment the population will begin to be vaccinated, ”said Denis Logunov, deputy director of research, associate member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The distribution of the vaccine will be carried out under the scrutiny of the Russian Ministry of Health.
Logunov said distribution will be prioritized for high-risk groups, as the Health Ministry has taken it upon themselves to protect those who are severely fighting the Covid-19 outbreak.
Marking another stage of progress on Friday, “Sputnik-V” produced an antibody response in all participants in the early-stage trials, according to results published by the medical journal The Lancet.
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The two trials for “Sputnik-V” were carried out in June-July this year and involved 76 participants. The results showed that 100 percent of the participants developed antibodies to the new coronavirus and no serious side effects, The Lancet said.
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