Moscow, December 2: Russia will start mass vaccination against COVID-19 from next week. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered mass vaccination of Sputnik V. Teachers and doctors will be vaccinated first. According to reports, Russia has also presented its Sputnik V vaccine to the United Nations over a video link. Russia has reportedly produced over two million doses of Sputnik V.

As per Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, already 100,000 people had been vaccinated against the deadly virus in the country. Last month Russia had claimed that Sputnik V was 95 percent efficient against the virus. The claim was based on the second interim analysis of clinical data. Covid-19: Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine is 95 Per Cent Effective, Cheaper Than Others, Say Developers.

Russia became the first country to register the world's first COVID-19 vaccine on August 11. Sputnik V, named after Russia's first satellite, is developed by the Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Health Ministry. Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine to be Produced in India, RDIF & Hetero to Produce 100 Million Doses Per Year.

Sputnik V will cost governments much lower than that of Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines, claimed Russia. The third, post-registration, stage of clinical tests began on August 25. The vaccine was developed on a platform that had been used for a number of other vaccines.

According to the Russian Health Ministry, these vaccines have proved their ability to form lasting immunity for a period of up to two years. The first batch of the vaccine was dispatched to Russian regions on September 12. Notably, coronavirus cases in Russia have crossed 23 lakh-mark, while more than 41,000 people have succumbed to COVID-19 in the country.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 02, 2020 09:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).