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Coronavirus pandemic

Venezuela is ready to participate in testing of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine

Venezuela's Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said Caracas was also ready to participate in testing of Chinese and Cuban vaccines against the disease

BUENOS AIRES, 22 August. /TASS/. The Venezuelan government is in talks with the Russian side on participation in testing and production of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, Venezuelan Health Minister Carlos Alvarado announced on Friday.

"We have offered 500 volunteers to participate in vaccine trials," the minister said during a video conference with President Nicolas Maduro, which was broadcast on Periscope.

Alvarado said Venezuela and Russia "also discussed the possibility of joint production" of the Sputnik V vaccine.

Venezuela's Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said Caracas was also ready to participate in testing of Chinese and Cuban vaccines against the disease.

"Venezuela is ready to join the [Cuban vaccine] trials immediately," Maduro said.

In addition, Rodriguez announced that Venezuela has begun using blood plasma from people who have had a coronavirus infection for the treatment of COVID-19.

On August 11, Russia became the first country in the world to register a coronavirus vaccine named Sputnik V and developed by Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian health ministry. The injection passed clinical trials in June-July. The vaccine is based on an already known platform that was used to create a number of other injections. On August 15, the national health ministry said that the vaccine production had begun. Developers of the Russian coronavirus vaccine expect the injection to protect from the virus for at least two years. Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said that Russia had already received applications from 20 countries for the supply of 1 billion doses of vaccine.

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