Russia will start clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine in two weeks: Health Ministry

With coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of slowing down, countries race to develop a vaccine to eliminate the disease from society. Russia on May 30 said that it will start clinical trials of its potential vaccine in two weeks. The Russian health ministry on Saturday informed that authorities have given the go-ahead to start the clinical trial of the country's first anti-COVID-19 drug. Countries such as the United States, Germany, China, Canada, and the United Kingdom have already moved on to the next stage of vaccine development after they started human trials of their drug recently. 

Read: Russia Records Nearly 9,000 New Coronavirus Cases

According to figures by Johns Hopkins University, Russia is currently the third most affected country in the world with little over 4,00,000 confirmed coronavirus cases. However, the death toll in the nation remains relatively lower than other major countries in the world with 4,693 people dead so far.  The recovered patients' tally in Russia stands at 1,71,883. With a lower death toll and higher recovery rate, Russia is becoming one of the models for countries to take lessons from. However, critics allege that the former USSR is hiding real numbers and the death toll is actually higher than being reported. 

Read: Russia Postpones BRICS, SCO Summits Slated For July Amid COVID-19 Crisis

COVID-19 outbreak

The coronavirus pandemic has infected over 6 million people worldwide and has claimed more than 3,69,000 lives to date, according to figures by Johns Hopkins University. Health experts believe that the virus originated from a wet market in China's Wuhan city, where exotic animals were reportedly being traded illegally. 

Read: Russia Reports Its Highest Single-day Death Toll But Fewer Infections

Read: Coronavirus May Never Go Away Even With A Vaccine, Warn Experts

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