MOSCOW, February 2./TASS/. Almost 17,000 children and teenagers between 12 and 17 years of age have been vaccinated against coronavirus in Russia, Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko said on Wednesday.

"As of today, almost 17,000 children and teenagers were vaccinated. The vaccination of this age group is vital as never before," the minister told a meeting of the Russian government’s anti-coronavirus coordination council.

The vaccination of teenagers is voluntary, only upon the written application from one of the parents or a legal representative, he said.

According to the anti-coronavirus crisis center, Russia has reported 12,128,796 coronavirus cases overall with 332,690 fatalities.