VIENNA, April 3. /TASS/. Austria is going to inoculate every willing person with the first COVID-19 vaccine dose in the next 100 days, and the use of Russia’s Sputnik V drug can accelerate that process, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Saturday.
"Despite the fact that many pharmaceutical companies supply only 50% of the amount [of vaccines] negotiated by the EU, in the next 100 days we will have an opportunity to offer at least the first vaccine to everyone who is willing to get vaccinated. If we use Sputnik, we will even be able to speed it up," he said in a video address on the occasion of the Easter holidays.
In April, Austria plans to vaccinate people over the age of 65, in May - residents over 50 and in June - other age groups so that life could return to normal in the summer. "We hope that, by vaccinating the older generation, we will be able to reach a turning point in May when the pressure on hospitals decreases, and we will be able to take measures to lift the restrictions that we are all looking forward to," the chancellor added.
On March 31, Kurz said following a working meeting with Russian Ambassador Dmitry Lyubinsky that Moscow and Vienna were at the final stage before the deal on the purchase of the Sputnik V vaccine, and Austria could order it as early as next week. He noted that the Austrian government was discussing with health professionals the possibility of national approval of the Russian vaccine.