Russia produces first batch of Covid-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik V’: Report

Moscow, Aug 16: Russia has produced the first batch of its new vaccine for Covid-19 amid the fear that Moscow may be putting national prestige before safety amid the global race to develop a vaccine against the disease.

The development comes days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the country has developed the first vaccine offering "sustainable immunity" against the deadly coronavirus or COVID-19.

Putin emphasised that the vaccine underwent the necessary tests. He added that one of his two daughters has received a shot of the vaccine and is feeling well.

"After the first vaccination, she had a body temperature of 38 degrees Celsius, while the following day it was slightly over 37 degrees Celsius, that's it.

After the second injection, the second vaccination, her temperature also rose a little, and then everything cleared up, she feels good and the [antibody] titers are high," Putin said.

"It works quite effectively" and "forms a stable immunity," he said. Putin thanked everyone who worked on the first-ever vaccine against the coronavirus and hoped that Russia will be able to start mass production of this medication in the near future.

"I hope that our colleagues abroad will also move forward, and there will be quite a lot of products that can be used on the market, on the world market for medicines and vaccines," Putin was quoted as saying by the agency. Health Minister Mikhail Murashko has said that the first Russian vaccine against the coronavirus will begin to be produced at two sites - the Gamaleya Research Institute and the company Binnopharm.

Russian authorities have said that medical workers, teachers and other risk groups will be the first to be inoculated.

Russia is the first country to register a coronavirus vaccine.

Several scientists around the world, including in India, suggest it hasn't been tested properly given the time constraint and there may not be enough evidence to prove its efficacy.