The world’s first COVID-19 vaccine, named Sputnik V, has undergone all the necessary checks and proven to be capable of building immunity against the virus, according to the Russian Ministry of Health. The vaccine is a two-component treatment based on the human adenovirus, which, according to scientists, allows people develop immunity to the virus for at least two years.
Mass vaccination against the coronavirus in Russia will begin in about a month after the required amount of vaccine is produced, the director of the Gamaleya Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology said.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the global coronavirus death toll has surpassed 767,000 people, with the number of cases worldwide exceeding 21.5 million. In June, the organisation expressed concerns over routine vaccination suspension in many countries, also warning that a second coronavirus wave in the autumn could be worsened by the seasonal flu.