Russia's St Petersburg mandates COVID vaccine for all adults over 60

As the Russian Federation continues to register record coronavirus cases, one of its major cities has made it mandatory for the elderly to get immunized against viral infection. On Tuesday, the Chief Doctor of St. Petersburg announced that residents above the age of 60 years or more with chronic diseases would be required to get the anti-coronavirus shots. In a statement, Dr Nataliya Bashketova said, “Make COVID vaccination mandatory for persons aged 60 years or older, for persons with chronic diseases, including diseases of the broncho-pulmonary system, cardiovascular system, and endocrine system.”

According to Russian publication Meduza, all people in the aforementioned groups are now required to get their first vaccine dose by December 15, 2021, and their second jab by January 15, 2022. Meanwhile, a discreet report in Fontanka stated that mandatory jab order was also extended to workers at the city’s airports and seaports. Additionally, all university and vocational school students over the age of 18 are also required to follow the same orders. Notably, St. Petersberg is the second most populated city in the country, only after the capital Moscow.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the transcontinental country has registered over 8,873,655 cases while a total of 249,215 people have died. On Tuesday, Russia recorded 39,160 new coronavirus cases and 1,211 fatalities in the past 24 hours. This marked the highest daily death toll since the start of the pandemic.

Sputnik V vaccines are efficient in protecting elderly 

Meanwhile, a  study conducted by the Ministry of Health of the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina has shown the high efficacy of the Russian Sputnik V vaccines in protecting individuals aged 60 years and above. The Argentinian study has demonstrated that COVID-19 infection rates witnessed a decrease of over 88% among those who were full vaccinated, the Russian Direct Investment Fund announced on November 1. The full vaccination has shown a 96.6% reduction in deaths due to COVID-19.

"Results of the study are showing that infection rates decreased for over 88% among those who received the full vaccination against COVID (2 doses). The full vaccination was associated with a 96.6% reduction in mortality," Sputnik V said in a press release. 

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