Russia

Gamaleya Chief Promises Putin That COVID-19 Vaccine for Kids Will Be Ready by 15 September

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The director of the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Alexander Gintsburg, assured Russian President Vladimir Putin that a COVID-19 vaccine for children would be ready by 15 September.
Sputnik

"It looks like we are going to keep our word we gave you in Yaroslavl [to design a vaccine for young people]. Just maybe it won't be ready by  1 September, but by 15 September", Gintsburg said.

The scientist noted that the vaccine's developers "spent three months convincing the regulators" to expedite the process.

"Three months. But we have finally convinced them, just yesterday or the day before. And by 15 September, maximum by 20 September, it will be registered", he added.
Gamaleya Chief Promises Putin That COVID-19 Vaccine for Kids Will Be Ready by 15 September

The use of the vaccine will, however, have an age restriction.

"There is one 'but' — these are children of 15-17 years old. ... it should be at least 14-13 years", the Gamaleya director noted.

Putin asked in response if younger children could get inoculated, to which Gintsburg said that this vaccine cannot be given to minors.

The Gamaleya Centre developed Sputnik V - the first officially registered vaccine against coronavirus in the world, back in August 2020. Since then, the institute has also developed Sputnik Light - a single-dose vaccine to boost mass immunisation programmes on the global level.

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