MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Russia’s coronavirus vaccine dubbed Sputnik V could be launched in Russia by late October-early November, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev said Monday.

"We believe that the vaccine can start being widely used in Russia by late October or early November," he said. Dmitriev underlined that the vaccine production will be primarily targeted at covering domestic demand.

At the same time, the RDIF chief is hopeful that the Russian vaccine will be greenlighted in the Middle East already in November. "Undeniably, we also hope that the Russian vaccine could be approved and launched in November, particularly in the Middle East," he said, underlining that Sputnik V is the first vaccine in the world in terms of approval and interest in it.

On August 11, Russia became the first country in the world to register a coronavirus vaccine named Sputnik V, which was 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.

Belarus came to be the first foreign country to launch clinical trials of this breakthrough vaccine. RDIF chief Kirill Dmitriev also named the UAE among various countries planning to launch similar trials.