"The government's decree implies this. It will be imperative that additional clinical research of an approved vaccine be conducted simultaneously," Murashko told reporters during a working trip to the central Russian city of Yekaterinburg.
The minister described this expedited approach as a "new format of efficacy and safety."
"We have a database on patients who have recovered from the coronavirus. We plan to amplify it with data on vaccinated patients to have a full picture of the immune status of patients who were vaccinated and recovered," he explained.
The experimental vaccine is being developed by Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow. It has recently cleared the first stage of trials in a small group of volunteers. Murashko described the outcome as "positive."
