Russia claims first Covid-19 vaccine “Sputnik V”, Putin says daughter inoculated.

Russia Coronavirus (Covid-19) Vaccine: The move paves the way for mass inoculation even as the final stages of clinical trials to test safety and efficacy continue.

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, a move hailed by Moscow as evidence of its scientific prowess. The vaccine still has to complete final trials, raising concerns among some experts at the speed of its approval, but the Russian business conglomerate Sistema has said it expects to put it into mass production by the end of the year.

Russian health workers treating COVID-19 patients will be offered the chance of volunteering to be vaccinated in the coming weeks, a source told Reuters last month. Regulatory approval paves the way for the mass inoculation of the Russian population and authorities hope it will allow the economy, which has been battered by fallout from the virus, to return to full capacity. Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, hailed the development as a historic “Sputnik moment”, comparable to the Soviet Union’s 1957 launch of Sputnik 1, the world’s first satellite.

Covid-19 vaccine: Dubbed as “Sputnik V”, Russia’s health ministry has given regulatory approval for what it claims is the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine, developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute, after less than two months of human testing, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday, reported Reuters. While addressing a government meeting today, Putin was quoted as saying by AP, “I would like to repeat that it has passed all the necessary tests.” He added: “The most important thing is to ensure full safety of using the vaccine and its efficiency.”

The move paves the way for mass inoculation even as the final stages of clinical trials to test safety and efficacy continue. Amid the rising novel coronavirus cases and deaths across the world, Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday has announced the registration of the world's first coronavirus vaccine 'Sputnik' with mass production expected to start in September and mass vaccination in October. He said that his own daughter has been vaccinated with new coronavirus vaccine.