Russia First in World to Announce Coronavirus Vaccine

Russia’s health ministry has given approval for the world’s first coronavirus vaccine to be used for the population.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that the country has registered the first vaccine against the coronavirus in the world.

According to the president, the remedy presented is “safe and effective” and allows achieving a “stable immunity.” Accumulated infections from Covid-19 have reached 20 million in the world, according to the Johns Hopkins University count, while the death toll is above 736,000.

The vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya National Research Centre, has an official registration with the Russian Health Ministry, Putin told a meeting with members of the government in Moscow. Putin added that the vaccine trials yielded positive results, with all volunteers having built up immunity to the coronavirus.

The vaccine is based on adenovirus and contains dead Covid-19 particles which cannot multiply and are therefore safe, said Alexander Gintzburg, head of the centre. However, it can provoke an immune response such as high temperature to the introduction of foreign substances, he added.

Since appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and territories. The US is leading with the most confirmed infections with 5.09 million, followed by Brazil with over three million cases and India with 2.27 million, according to data compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

Russian has had some 891,000 cases to date.