Sputnik for doctors, teachers and workers is …

Moscow launched an online reservation service on Friday to apply the national Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus from this Saturday, after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of massive vaccination against Covid-19 in the country. Sputnik V, one of two Russian-made vaccines that has already received regulatory approval in this country requires two injections, and interim trials have shown it to be 92% effective to protect people from the novel coronavirus.

Initially, vaccination teams will be available for social workers, doctors and teachers aged 18 to 60, in both public and private establishments. Any Moscow city resident with an online account can book an appointment, but the website warns people need to prove their profession. The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, announced that the vaccine against the coronavirus will be available from this Saturday in 70 medical centers in the capital.

The mayor said the vaccine would be offered to people between the ages of 18 and 60 who do not have chronic illnesses and to women who are not pregnant or breastfeeding. Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko previously said that more than 100,000 people had already been vaccinated against the deadly virus when the government presented its Sputnik V vaccine to the UN via a video link.

More than 20,000 people in Moscow received the Sputnik V injection, 273 of whom had fallen ill with Covid-19, Moscow’s deputy mayor Anastasia Rakova said on Friday, according to Russian news agencies. Up to 10 vaccines are in development in Russia, Anna Popova, director of consumer health regulator Rospotrebnadzor, told Russian news agency TASS on Friday.

The second wave

Russia reported this Friday 27,403 new cases of Covid-19, after announcing on Thursday a record of more than 28,000 the day before. The Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, which announced last week the start of vaccination of the country’s soldiers, andexpects to receive 100,000 doses of the vaccine this month, enough for 50,000 soldiers.

Russia is still reluctant to impose lockdowns during the second wave of the virus, opting for specific regional restrictions for now. With more than 2.4 million, Russia is the fourth country with the most cases of coronavirus, behind the United States, India and Brazil. It has recorded 42,176 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.