Russia says military officials preparing to leave for service will get COVID vaccine first

Russian Defence Ministry on Friday informed that Navy crews, commanders of armed forces' units, Aerospace Forces, and combat crews of Strategic Missile Forces are first in line to receive the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson, Major General Igor Konashenkov on December 11 said that about 1,00,000 servicemen will be vaccinated before the end of 2020. 

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"First of all, the vaccine is received by physicians preparing to leave for combat service the crews of the ships of the Navy, flight personnel of the Russian Aerospace Forces, combat crews of the Strategic Missile Forces, command posts of all levels, as well as commanders of units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," Konashenkov said in a statement. 

According to Konashenkov, the Russian military has received 14,500 doses of Sputnik V vaccine and as of December 10, at least 10,000 servicemen have already been vaccinated. 

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Sputnik V

Russia became the first country in the world earlier in August to announce a COVID-19 vaccine after President Vladimir Putin informed the international community about Sputnik V, wittingly named after the first artificial satellite sent into space by humans, a feat that was achieved by the USSR. Last week, Russia announced the mass deployment of its vaccine in the country's capital Moscow. 

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The vaccination drive has begun across 70 stations for frontline workers aged between 18 to 60 years. Children, people with underlying health conditions, pregnant and breastfeeding women have been left out of the vaccination campaign due to a lack of data regarding the effects of COVID-19 vaccines in these groups. Sputnik V is being administered in two doses with a gap of 21 days between each injection. 

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