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Russia 'Sputnik V' vaccine: Over 3,000 people vaccinated in Moscow, says report

September 29, 2020

Just over a month of launching Russia's 'Sputnik V' vaccine against the novel Coronavirus, the Russian government on Monday said that over 3,000 Moscow residents have got the dose of its first COVID-19 vaccine till now, according to a report.

"More than 3,000 volunteers have already been vaccinated against the Coronavirus. None of them have problems. People feel good. I myself went through this vaccination procedure and you see nothing happened to me, although several months have already passed," said the mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin.

However, amid the surging cases in the country's capital, Sobyanin on Friday ordered the elderly to stay at home and recommended employers allow home working. Last week, the government had said that over 60,000 volunteers have signed up for Sputnik V in Moscow, according to a report.

More than 700 people have been injected with the Coronavirus vaccine and "all of them are feeling good," he had said. Sputnik V COVID vaccine is developed by Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology under the Russian Health Ministry.

On August 11, Russia became the first country to license a COVID-19 vaccine, calling it "Sputnik V" in homage to the world's first satellite, launched by the Soviet Union. But western experts have warned against its use until all internationally approved testing and regulatory steps have been taken. The vaccine is undergoing Phase 3 trials.

The results of the two trials, conducted in June-July this year and involving 76 participants, showed 100% of participants developing antibodies to the new Coronavirus and no serious side effects, The Lancet said.