ROME, May 12. /TASS /. The authorities of San Marino showed a non-politicized approach to the issues of protecting citizens’ life and health, thus managing to achieve an almost zero COVID-19 incidence rate thanks to Russia’s Sputnik V jab, Russian Ambassador to Italy and the Republic of San Marino Sergey Razov told TASS on Wednesday.
"The prompt solution to the issue (on Russia’s Sputnik V drug’s supply at the request of the San Marino leadership) and well-organized vaccination enabled this small state to be the first one in Europe to break the shackles of COVID-19. At the same time, in my opinion, San Marino’s authorities have strengthened another kind of "immunity " - remaining immune from politicizing issues regarding the protection of its citizens’ life and health," the Russian diplomat said.
The negotiations on the Sputnik V jab’s supply were held in the shortest possible time, Razov noted. Furthermore, Russia’s envoy recalled that San Marino made a choice in favor of the Russian drug, which showed high efficiency, safety and the absence of special requirements for transportation and storage, after the publication of the results of Sputnik V’s clinical trials in The Lancet scientific journal as well as the report made by the reputable Italian Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases.
One of the first herd immunity in Europe
According to Secretary of State for Health and Social Security Roberto Ciavatta, the republic immunized over 60% of all citizens and permanent residents or more than 70% out of 29,875 people aged over 16. Meanwhile, more than 13,500 people have completed the vaccination cycle, while some 8,000 are waiting for the second vaccine dose. "Apart from Gibraltar, we are the first in Europe and the seventh in the world in terms of vaccination rates. <...>," Ciavatta wrote on his Facebook page.
San Marino also inoculates people with the Pfizer-BioNTech jab. To date, not a single case of severe side effects from Russia’s drug has been registered, while the republic’s COVID-19 incidence rate has dropped to zero.
Medical tourism
San Marino has reported an excess of COVID-19 vaccines, therefore, the republic's authorities are ready to receive foreign tourists who may be offered a paid vaccination service. "We receive a lot of requests - from Switzerland, Germany, other countries," the spokesperson for the Secretariat of State for Health and Social Security noted. He specified that foreign journalists working in Italy were showing a particular interest. "They are likely to receive the vaccine in the coming days," according to the spokesperson. Meanwhile, he clarified that it was still necessary to outline all sanitary and other protocols in order to launch medical tourism.
Russia’s Sputnik V jab
According to the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the Sputnik V vaccine is currently registered by 64 countries, home to over 3.2 bln people. In March, the European Medicines Agency launched a rolling review of Sputnik V. The registration is likely to be completed by June 2021.