New Delhi (NVI): The government of Russia approved the use of the its COVID-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik V’ for the mass vaccination of people aged 60 years and above, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko announced today.
“The Health Ministry approved amendments to the instructions for medical use (of the vaccine). The ‘Sputnik V’ vaccine is now approved for use in persons aged 18 and over. Thereby, citizens over 60 years old can now be vaccinated against the new coronavirus infection,” Russia’s Tass news agency quoted Murashko as saying.
The minister also said the vaccine had been deemed safe and effective for the older generation.
“Clinical studies have been carried out on the use of the Russian vaccine in people over 60 years old, while the expert examination has confirmed its safety and efficacy,” Murashko noted.
Previously, elderly people, who form a particularly vulnerable group, had been excluded from the nation’s mass vaccination program.
The world’s first coronavirus vaccine, ‘Sputnik V’ throughout its clinical trials has demonstrated to be more than 95 percent effective at preventing the deadly contagion after three control points.
Earlier on December 10, Russia began its vaccination drive against COVID-19. In addition to this, Murashko on December 14 said that the vaccine had been delivered to all regions as part of the large-scale vaccination campaign.
However, the ‘Sputnik V’ vaccine is capable of building up immunity for more than two years, according to the researchers.
Russia fourth on the list of hardest-hit countries worldwide has reported over 29,92,100 coronavirus infection and 53,539 deaths.
-RJV
