Russia lags behind others in its COVID-19 vaccination drive<br /><br />Russia boasted last year of being first in the world to authorize a coronavirus vaccine, but it now finds itself lagging in getting its population immunized. <br /><br />The vaccine reluctance comes as shots are readily available in the capital to anyone 18 or older at more than 200 state and private clinics, shopping malls, food courts, hospitals — even a theater. <br /><br />Russia’s lagging vaccination rates hinge on several factors, including supply. Russian drug makers have been slow to ramp up mass production, and there were shortages in March in many regions.<br /><br />Another factor in Russians’ reluctance over Sputnik V was the fact that it was rolled out even as large-scale testing to ensure its safety and efficacy was still ongoing. But a study published in February in the British medical journal The Lancet said the vaccine appeared safe and highly effective against COVID-19, according to a trial involving about 20,000 people in Russia.<br /><br />As of mid-April, over 1 million of Moscow’s 12.7 million residents, or about 8%, have received at least one shot, even though the campaign began in December.<br /><br />Photos by: AP<br /><br />Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe<br /><br />Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net<br /><br />Follow us:<br />Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook<br />Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram<br />Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter<br />DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion<br /><br />Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital<br /><br />Check out our Podcasts:<br />Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify<br />Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts<br />Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic<br />Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer<br />Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher<br />Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein<br />Soundcloud: https://tmt.ph/soundcloud<br /><br />#TheManilaTimes
