Russian officials have advised citizens to avoid drinking for two months after receiving the Sputnik V vaccine, the New York Post reported.
People will have to observe additional precautions during the 42 days it takes for the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to become effective, the New York Post said, citing Tatiana Golikova, Russian deputy prime minister.
Read also: The pandemic’s push on the silver economy
“Russians will have to refrain from visiting crowded places, wear masks, use disinfectants, minimize contacts, and refrain from drinking alcohol or taking immunosuppressive drugs,” Golikova said in an interview with the TASS news agency.
Anna Popova, head of Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s consumer safety watchdog, recommended avoiding alcohol.
“It is a strain on the body. If we want to stay healthy and have a strong immune response, don’t drink alcohol,” Popova said.
According to the World Health Organization, Russia is the fourth largest consumer of alcohol per person in the world. The average Russian consumes 15.1 liters of alcohol per year.
According to Russian health authorities, the country estimates that 100,000 people have already been inoculated. Russia launched its vaccination last weekend in Moscow.
Health officials say the Sputnik V vaccine is more than 90 percent effective, but reports say that medical workers who have received the injection have contracted COVID-19. Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly refused to accept it, the New York Post added.
Western experts have expressed skepticism about the speed at which the alleged vaccine was developed and Russia has not provided any data to back up its claims about the injection.
Russia has recorded the fourth-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world of more than 2.5 million with 44,220 deaths from the virus, Johns Hopkins University and Medicine reported.
.
