When will Putin take Russia's Covid -19 vaccine Sputnik V? Kremlin has no idea, says 'he will vaccinate himself'
While past American presidents have come to the fore offering to take the Covid-19 vaccine to encourage the common people to do the same, the scenario is different in Russia. It is still uncertain when the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, will receive the Sputnik V shot although his aides declared months ago that Moscow won the race to produce the remedy to nullify the Covid-19 pandemic that has killed more than 1.7 million people worldwide. Russia has seen more than three million cases of Covid-19 -- the fourth most in the world -- while more than 54,000 have lost their lives.
On Monday, Russia’s state-run TASS cited Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov informing reporters that Putin told him that “he will be vaccinated himself”. Peskov also added that it will be the Russian president who will reveal himself “when and how it happened”.
Kremlin says Putin's delay doesn't mean vaccine is not effective
The spokesperson also said that Putin’s delayed decision to get inoculated doesn’t mean that the Russian vaccine is less trustworthy. Stressing that Russia has already launched vaccination for its people and the vaccine’s production is being boosted, Peskov said there is "absolutely" no connection between Putin’s delay in taking the dose and its effectiveness. “...we don’t see any connection here. After the Health Ministry’s conclusion on one vaccine, other vaccines will follow then, and then the president will make a decision,” the representative said, according to the report.
Peskov also added that Putin could not get vaccinated without it first getting recognized safe for those over 60. Putin, who is in control of Russian affairs for over two decades now, is 68 and is rumored to step down from the top post owing to failing health. The spokesperson said earlier that Putin had decided to get vaccinated but was waiting for all formalities to get over, the report added.
He was also asked whether the Russian president will take the vaccine in front of the camera and he said he had no idea about it.
On December 17, Putin announced at his annual press conference that he would get the vaccine as soon as possible. He also said on the occasion that he is in favor of following guidelines set by specialists over age restrictions at this stage. Last week, Peskov said Putin can soon announce his vaccination schedule. The Russian health ministry has cleared its Sputnik V vaccine to be used for people aged over 60. In August, Putin praised the vaccine’s development saying it was a victory for the country’s scientists and pledged within weeks to take it himself. But the Kremlin acknowledged in November that the vaccine required further testing before the top leader would take it.
“We have not yet begun widespread vaccination and the head of state can’t take part in vaccination as a volunteer. It’s impossible," Peskov told reporters then.
On August 11, Russia became the first country to register the coronavirus vaccine. The same month, Putin conceded that his daughter had volunteered to take the shot and that she was doing fine.
"We passed pre-clinical and clinical trials on animals and volunteers. It is clear today to our specialists that this vaccine gives a sustainable immunity, antibodies emerge, just like they did in my daughter’s case, and is harmless. Thank God, my daughter is feeling well,” the TASS quoted the president as saying.
“As a volunteer, considering her profession, she comes in contact with a lot of people, it is important for her to feel protected to work as normal,” the president added.
The race for inventing the vaccine for the deadly virus has seen a sort of geopolitical competition between Russia and the West, something like the space race during the heights of the Cold War. The British regulators have also approved a vaccine for widespread use, relying on the US's Pfizer's collaboration with Germany's BioNTech and they were followed by the Donald Trump administration and the European Union.
Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian healthcare ministry, said in an interview with Russia-24 TV channel on Monday that a combination of Sputnik V and a preparation by British-Swedish AstraZeneca will give protection against the coronavirus infection for two years, TASS reported.
"Memory cells will form much better as a result of using such a hybrid two-component vaccine. And the vaccine, quite obviously, will accordingly protect an inoculated individual not for 3-4 months but for at least two years," he was quoted as saying.