Russia approves first Covid-19 vaccine, says Putin

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing.

The vaccine now faces the final stage of clinical trials to test safety and efficacy, but it is likely that it will be made available to the public soon.

Russia is attempting to win the global race for an effective vaccine against the coronavirus but there are concerns about the safety of moving so fast through the trials.

The Russian vaccine is not among the World Health Organisation's (WHO) list of six vaccines that have reached phase three clinical trials, which involve more widespread testing in humans.

The global health body last week urged Russia to follow international guidelines for producing a vaccine against Covid-19.

Putin said on Tuesday that the vaccine, developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute, was safe and that it had even been administered to one of his daughters.

“I know that it works quite effectively, forms strong immunity, and I repeat, it has passed all the needed checks,” he said.

He said he hoped the country would soon start mass producing the vaccine.

Russian health workers treating Covid-19 patients will be offered the chance of volunteering to be vaccinated soon after the vaccine’s approval, a source told Reuters last month.

There are currently at least four vaccines around the world that are in final Phase III human trials, according to WHO data.