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"Once again, I want to stress that vaccination will be voluntary and free," Putin said.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered coronavirus vaccination to begin next week. The first to receive the vaccine will be health workers and teachers.
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Russia's Vaccine Is 95% Efficient and Will Cost Less Than $10
He noted that some 2 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine have been produced so far, which makes it possible to start mass vaccination.
"I ask you to organize the work in such a way that large-scale vaccination begins at the end of next week," Putin told Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, who coordinates the fight against the coronavirus.
"Once again, I want to stress that vaccination will be voluntary and free," the Russian president stressed.
#Nebenzia:����took unprecedented anti-crisis measures in order to preserve people’s lives & health. Our country has promptly developed a range of test systems, medicines and vaccines to detect, treat & prevent the new disease, including the world’s 1st registered vaccine #SputnikV. pic.twitter.com/XKt4VXnEpW
— Russian Mission UN (@RussiaUN) December 2, 2020
Health Minister Mikhail Murashko will explain to the UN today the details of the Sputnik V vaccine, which has an efficacy of over 95 percent and a price of USD20 for two doses.
Russia is also working on the mass distribution of EpiVacCorona, a vaccine developed by the Vektor State Research Center for Virology and Biotechnology, the results of which have not yet been published. A third vaccine, developed by the Chumakov Center, will soon enter the third phase of clinical trials.
Putin ordered the mass vaccination to begin on the same day that Russia recorded 589 deaths from COVID-19, which is a new high over the last 24 hours.
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