Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that his country has registered its first Covid-19 vaccine, calling it effective protection against the deadly virus. According to Bloomberg, Putin also disclosed that one of his own daughters had already received it. “As far as I know, this morning the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus infection in the world was registered this morning,” Putin said Tuesday at a televised government meeting. The announcement comes at a time when there is a global race to develop vaccines against the coronavirus pandemic that has killed nearly 750,000 people, infected more than 20 million and crippled national economies. Some pharmaceutical companies have called Russia’s rushed registration dangerous. The vaccine, which is being developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute and the Russian Direct Investment Fund, began Phase 3 trials last week. Medics could begin receiving the vaccine by the end of the month, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said at the meeting. The news comes as daily Covid-19 cases in Russia dipped below 5,000 for the first time since April 23 as the number continues a slow decline from its May peak. New cases have dropped to less than half of the 11,656 reported on May 11. According to Federal Statistics Service data, Russia has nearly 900,000 people diagnosed with Covid-19, the fourth-most confirmed cases in the world. It had over 27,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the second quarter.
