Vladimir Putin in Serbia, October 2014
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Russian President Vladimir Putin announced today (August 11) that his country had won the global race to approve a vaccine against COVID-19, several news outlets have reported. Despite having only been in clinical trials for less than two months, the vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow is safe, Putin said at a televised cabinet meeting, noting that it has already been given to one of his daughters, according to Reuters and The Washington Post. The government plans to first vaccinate high-risk groups such as healthcare workers and teachers, with mass vaccination starting in October after large-scale production begins, according to the Associated Press.
“It works effectively enough, forms a stable immunity and, I repeat, it has gone through all necessary tests,” Putin said at the meeting, according to The New York Times.
Researchers around the world, including in Russia, ...
