Dec 5, 2020 - World

Russia begins distributing its coronavirus vaccine in Moscow

Oriana González

Picture of a medical worker injecting a man with a vaccine against COVID-19 — Photo: Sergei Karpukhin\TASS via Getty Images

Russia began distributing its coronavirus vaccine on Saturday, making Sputnik V available at 70 different locations around Moscow.

Driving the news: The immunization effort comes days after Russian President Vladimir Putin directed officials to begin large-scale vaccination against the virus, despite widespread criticism from scientists worldwide over the Sputnik V vaccine's safety and effectiveness.

Russia has not completed advanced studies on the vaccine to ensure it is safe and adheres to scientific protocols.

Details: The two-shot vaccine is only available to people between the ages of 18 and 60 who do not have a chronic disease or a cold, and who are not pregnant or breastfeeding.

Patients will be required to get the second shot 21 days after the first injection.
Moscow said 5,000 doctors, teachers, social workers and other high-risk groups have already signed up for the vaccine.

The big picture: Russia has recorded more than 2.4 million coronavirus cases and over 42,200 deaths, per data from Johns Hopkins University.

Go deeper: Why you should be skeptical of Russia's coronavirus vaccine claims

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Russia begins distributing its coronavirus vaccine in Moscow

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