This is an automated machine translation of an article published by Business Insider in a different language. Machine translations can generate errors or inaccuracies; we will continue the work to improve these translations. You can find the original version here.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has offered foreign embassies in Moscow to vaccinate their staff with the Russian vaccine against Covid-19. Diplomats from post-Soviet countries, Asia, Africa, and Latin America have accepted the offer; EU countries are waiting for the EMA's decision on Sputnik V.
The information was first reported by the Kommiersant daily, citing staff from several embassies in Moscow. It was later confirmed by the foreign ministry. The Foreign Ministry stated that "the practice of inviting the diplomatic corps for vaccination against coronavirus is widespread in many countries."
Diplomats of the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Asia, Africa, and Latin America have decided to be vaccinated with the Russian preparation. The use of Sputnik V has already been approved in many of these countries.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow reported that Ambassador John Sullivan would not be vaccinated because he "would not want to receive a dose of Sputnik V intended for a Russian citizen." Italian Ambassador Pasquale Terraciano, on the other hand, had already vaccinated before the Russian Foreign Ministry made this proposal.
"Kommiersant" reported that diplomats of several EU countries requesting anonymity said that no one forbade them to be vaccinated with Sputnik V, but only received a recommendation to wait until the Russian vaccine receives approval from the European Medicines Agency. The idea is, for example, not to lose the possibility of benefiting from a health policy if some serious side effects appear after vaccination with a non-EU-approved preparation.
The Moscow daily estimates that the question of vaccinating Russian diplomats working abroad is more complicated. The Russian Foreign Ministry has stated that it is working on this issue, taking into account the possibility of supplying the vaccine to a given country and the presence of appropriate medical infrastructure at its embassies.
Among Russian citizens, 1.5 percent have been vaccinated so far, "Kommiersant" recalls.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked why Russia is selling millions of doses of Sputnik V abroad when the vaccination campaign is quite slow at home, replied that "demand for the Russian vaccine abroad is high" and that work is underway to launch production of Sputnik V abroad to meet this demand.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/3uo9tEB
No comments:
Post a Comment