Source: BBC
Russia is starting its Covid-19 vaccination programme, with clinics in the capital Moscow inoculating those most at risk from the virus.
Its own vaccine Sputnik V, which was registered in August, is being used.
Developers say it is 95% effective and causes no major side effects, but it is still undergoing mass testing.
Thousands of people have already registered to get the first of two jabs over the weekend, but it is unclear how much Russia can manufacture.
Producers are only expected to make two million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, who announced the programme earlier in the week, said it was being offered to people in the city of 13 million who work in schools and the health service, and social workers.
He said the list would grow as more of the vaccine became available.
An online registration service allows city residents in the above professions aged 18-60 to book free appointments at 70 sites around the city.
Categories: Europe, Europe and Australia, Russia, Vaccine
The biggest vaccination effort in history has begun. This week, the U.K. was first to clear the use of a new shot from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE. The U.S. will likely do the same, and a separate vaccine from Moderna Inc. is close behind. By the end of 2020, tens of millions of people could be inoculated. Next year: billions more.
Bloomberg is tracking nine of the most promising vaccines around the globe, from national procurement deals to shots in patients’ arms. By our count, at least 7.85 billion doses have already been allotted.
It’s enough to cover half the world’s population (most vaccines use two doses), if the shots were distributed evenly. That, however, isn’t likely. Rich countries have hedged their bets with extensive supply deals, and ultra-cold storage requirements make some vaccines difficult to deliver to far-flung places.
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/?srnd=premium&sref=eGA8az79