Russia Ships Sputnik V Vaccine

The Russian News Agency TASS reported on September 12, 2020, "The first batch of Sputnik V vaccine has been shipped to the regions of the Russian Federation... for citizens from the high-risk group," the health ministry’s spokesperson said.

The Sputnik V vaccine is designed to protect people from the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 pneumonia, and was developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Healthcare Ministry. Sputnik V is a vector vaccine based on adenovirus DNA, in which the new coronavirus gene is integrated to stimulate immune responses.

On September 9, 2020, TASS reported Russian Healthcare Minister Mikhail Murashko announced that Phase 3 of clinical trials of the vaccine had started in Russia.