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Austrian chancellor thanks Putin for contribution to fight against coronavirus pandemic

The Austrian chancellor emphasized the need to vaccinate everyone as soon as possible "regardless of where they live"

VIENNA, June 4. /TASS/. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for contributing to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in a video address to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday.

"I am pleased that more than 60 countries are using Sputnik V," Kurz pointed out. "Mr. President, I would like to thank you for your contribution in this area because it is important to defeat the pandemic in all countries," he stressed, addressing Putin.

The Austrian chancellor emphasized the need to vaccinate everyone as soon as possible "regardless of where they live." "It should not matter if vaccines are made in the US, Russia, China or the European Union. Each and every achievement in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic is mankind’s success," Kurz said. According to him, there is no place for geopolitical games in this field.

Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine has been approved in many countries with a total population of over three billion people. The vaccine’s effectiveness is 97.6%, according to data on infections among Russians who received both doses of the vaccine between December 5, 2020, and March 31, 2021. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced the start of a rolling review of Sputnik V on March 4. Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said in late April that EMA experts had completed the first phase of the review. Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev noted on Thursday that the World Health Organization was expected to register Sputnik V in the coming months.

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