MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. Mass vaccination of Russians against the coronavirus will be launched on Monday, January 18, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova reported at a meeting with leading epidemiologists and virologists on Friday.

"The country’s president announced a mass vaccination beginning on Monday, that is, on January 18, 2021," she said. The deputy prime minister reiterated that two domestic vaccines have been registered in Russia so far, while the third one is "getting closer."

On January 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with members of the cabinet ordered to switch from a large-scale to a mass inoculation of Russians beginning next week. He did not specify the exact date but the deputy prime minister assured then that everything was ready to launch a mass vaccination on Monday.

According to the latest global statistics, more than 93.1 mln people have been infected worldwide and over 2 mln deaths have been reported. To date, 3,520,531 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 2,909,680 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 64,495 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.