MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. Russia is developing six types of vaccines against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which are expected to be approved and confirmed as safe in the near future, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said during a session of the government’s coordination center tasked with combating the spread of the virus.

The prime minister stressed that the Russian government’s main aim is to avoid mass spread of the virus, which is why it "will control the situation literally in a non-stop mode" taking proactive measures. The measures include not only suspending flights and public events, but also developing the vaccine against the novel infection, the PM stated.

"Currently, Russia is testing six vaccines. Our researchers have created them in record time, in two months, using the existing as well as the state-of-the-art biotechnologies," Mishustin stated. He added that the work on developing the vaccines was underway 24/7.

"We hope that in the near future, we will be able to confirm that these discoveries are safe and effective, and that they can be used to prevent and control the epidemic," the prime minister stressed.

In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. On March 11, WHO officially characterized the situation with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic. The disease has spread to over 180 countries. According to latest reports, over 240,000 people have been infected with the virus globally, and about 10,000 have died.