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Coronavirus pandemic

Over 90% of Russia’s MPs have been vaccinated or had COVID-19, lower house speaker says

Vyacheslav Volodin clarified that among those vaccinated and those with antibodies are members of different parties

Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin

© Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/. More than 90% of members of the State Duma (the lower house of Russia’s parliament) have antibodies against coronavirus, as they have either been vaccinated or have had COVID-19, Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said in a televised interview on Rossiya-1 channel on Saturday.

According to the speaker, "to date, 92% of the deputies have either been vaccinated or have had the disease, and they have antibodies."

Volodin clarified that among those vaccinated and those with antibodies are members of different parties.

"We have leaders among those vaccinated and those with antibodies, which are United Russia and the LDPR [parties]," the politician said. "Five percent in each of those two factions has not been vaccinated."

"They are followed by A Just Russia - For Truth," Volodin went on to say, noting that 10% of the faction had not received the vaccine, while 18% were not vaccinated in the CPRF.

"And leading among the unvaccinated is the New People faction with 30% (which is a new faction that was elected to parliament for the first time)," the speaker concluded hoping that "the new young deputies" would consider the issue "with understanding" and would get vaccinated.

On Thursday, Volodin announced at a State Duma session that twelve lawmakers had come down with COVID-19.

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