MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/. All three Russian COVID-19 vaccines are suitable for people with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, however, the final decision is up to the attending physician, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Thursday.

"Of course, this [vaccination] should definitely be recommended, and healthcare experts are recommending to do it quickly, because as I’ve said, people from this category have the most serious symptoms. And patients with cardiovascular diseases, especially among patients with diabetes. So this vaccine will essentially be a life-saving factor and will save them from threatening complications. The attending physician who is consulting a patient before vaccination will decide [which one to choose], this is why a special form is filled out. On the whole, all three can be used, there may be some special factors, <…> and at the end of the day, the doctor is the one who should decide," he said on the Rossiya-24 TV channel.

Murashko reminded that the Sputnik V and Epivaccorona vaccines are currently available in Russia. "We expect Covivac to enter civilian circulation now," he said, adding that the first two vaccines are available for all Russians over 18, and the research of Covivac among people over 60 is ongoing.

Three vaccines against COVID-19 have been registered in Russia. The first vaccine registered in the country and in the world is Sputnik V, developed by the Gamaleya Center of Russia’s Health Ministry. It was certified on August 11, 2020. EpiVacCorona by the Vector State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology of the consumer rights watchdog was registered in October 2020. The third vaccine CoviVac by the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Chumakov Center was authorized by the Health Ministry in February.