Russia begins distributing its coronavirus vaccine in Moscow

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