This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to receive his country’s Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine in the near future.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on December 27 that “the president himself will announce about the decision” soon.
Russia’s Health Ministry a day earlier approved the vaccine for use by people over the age of 60. The ministry said the vaccine was more than 90 percent effective for this age group.
Putin is 68.
During a marathon press conference on December 17, Putin said he would get vaccinated after “all formal issues” were resolved.
Russia approved the Sputnik-V vaccine on August 11, making it the first coronavirus vaccine to gain official approval anywhere in the world.
According to official Russian government statistics, just over 3 million cases of coronavirus infection have been recorded since the beginning of the pandemic, with 54,778 fatalities.
