Russia to register world’s first COVID-19 vaccine on August 12

The Russian COVID-19 vaccine candidate, being jointly developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute and the country’s Defence Ministry, is set to get registered on August 12, media reports said recently. This would be the first vaccine candidate against the novel coronavirus to get registered.

News reports quoted Russia’s Deputy Health Minister Oleg Gridnev as confirming that the development. “The vaccine developed by the Gamaleya centre will be registered on August 12. At the moment, the last, third, stage is underway,” Gridnev told the media.

The junior health minister said that medical professionals and senior citizens will be the first to get vaccinated. Mass production of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine is expected to begin in October.

This development comes days after the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Russian authorities to follow established guidelines for producing safe and effective vaccines. The warning came as Moscow moved swiftly to begin producing vaccine doses.