Large-scale voluntary vaccination program against COVID-19

President Vladimir Putin ordered a large-scale voluntary vaccination program against COVID-19 to begin next week across Russia, saying teachers and doctors should be first in line to get the country’s flagship Sputnik V vaccine, Reuters reported.

Putin gave the order during an online meeting with ministers on Wednesday, a day when Russia, which has the fourth highest number of recorded infections in the world, registered 589 new daily deaths from the coronavirus.
Putin said Russia will have produced 2 million vaccine doses within the next few days.

Sputnik V, one of two Russian-made vaccines to have received domestic regulatory approval so far despite clinical trials being incomplete, requires two injections. A third vaccine is in also in the works, Reuters reported.

Russia said last month that the Sputnik jab was 92 percent effective at protecting people from COVID-19 according to interim results.

Russia has already vaccinated more than 100,000 high-risk people, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said during a separate presentation to the UN about Sputnik V.

According to the presentation, more than 45,000 people are currently participating in Sputnik V trials worldwide.

The rise in infections in Russia has slowed since reaching a high on Nov. 27, with 25,345 new daily cases reported on Wednesday.

Russia has resisted imposing lockdowns during the second wave of the virus, preferring targeted regional curbs.