KATHMANDU: The first batch of the Russia developed Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, has been produced for civilian circulation, Russian News Agency TASS said on Tuesday.

According to the Russian Health Ministry, the first batch of the vaccine for preventing the novel coronavirus infection -- Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Health Ministry -- passed the required quality tests in the laboratories of Roszdravnadzor (the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare) and was produced for civilian circulation. "In the near future the supplies of the first batches of the vaccine to the regions are expected," the ministry was quoted as saying.

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko had earlier explained that civilian production at this stage meant vaccination of citizens from the risk groups, namely teachers and doctors, which will be carried out simultaneously with post-registration clinical trials.

Meanwhile, Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin was quoted in Russian Times as saying that Sputnik V's post-registration trials in Moscow could last from two to six months. The mass vaccination program in the city, which has borne the brunt of Russia's Covid-19 outbreak, is expected to start in late 2020 or early 2021.

Russia became the first country to develop a vaccine against coronavirus after the vaccine was registered on August 11. The vaccine underwent successful clinical trials of Phase 1 and Phase 2 in June-July.

Featured Image Source: TASS

(Compiled by Sandeep Sen for THT)

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