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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered Russian authorities to begin mass vaccinations against COVID-19 next week. Russia has recorded 589 new deaths from coronavirus, Mediafax reports.
Russia will produce 2 million doses of vaccine in the coming days, Putin said, according to Reuters.
“Let’s start once and for all,” Putin told Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova, head of the Coronavirus Task Force.
Russia claimed that its vaccine, “Sputnik V”, is effective in 92% of cases against COVID-19, according to interim results.
Golikova said that mass vaccination could begin voluntarily in December.
With 2,347,401 infections, Russia has the fourth highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world, after the United States, India and Brazil. Russia has also recorded 41,053 deaths associated with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
St. Petersburg authorities, which reported 3,684 new infections on Wednesday, ordered bars and restaurants closed from December 30 to January 3 to combat the surge in cases. Museums, theaters and concert halls would be closed in the city with more than 5 million people during the Russian New Year celebrations, between December 30 and January 10.
Editing: Monica Bonea
