Russia

Russia to Start Producing Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine for Animals in October

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia will start producing its experimental vaccine against COVID-19 for animals already next month, the head of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) said on Tuesday.
Sputnik

Experts from Rosselkhoznadzor's Federal Centre for Animal Health are currently working on the vaccine.

"We are already conducting tests. In October, we will launch production of experimental samples. We will see if there is demand," Sergey Dankvert told reporters.

The vaccine is designed for animals that are highly susceptible to the coronavirus, such as cats and minks. It will be recommended to fur farms, where the highly susceptible animals are bred on an industrial scale.

There have been several reports of pets contracting the coronavirus. According to the World Organisation for Animal Health, cats (domestic and large cats), mink, and dogs have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in a field setting, following contact with humans known or suspected to be infected with the disease. However, the organisation stressed that the current pandemic is driven primarily by human-to-human transmission.

Discuss