Russia vaccinates over 800,000 people against COVID-19

TVER, Russia

More than 800,000 people in Russia were vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, the country’s health minister said on Saturday.

Giving details about the Sputnik V vaccine in Tver province, Mikhail Murashko said mass vaccination continues in the country.

Underlining that Russia started vaccinating people aged over 60, he said that more than 1.5 million vaccines have been delivered to various parts of the country.

On Dec. 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the initiation of mass vaccination against COVID-19. The vaccination process, which was first attended by citizens aged 18-60, started on Dec. 5 in Moscow and other regions on Dec.15.

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed nearly 1.83 million lives in 191 countries and regions since last December.

Over 84.22 million cases have been reported worldwide, including more than 47.45 million recoveries, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.

The US, India, and Brazil remain the worst-hit countries in terms of infections.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar