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Venezuelan leader expects to receive large volume of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine

Earlier reports said Caracas had received 2,000 vaccine doses in order to take part in the third phase of clinical trials

RIO-DE-JANEIRO, December 8. /TASS/. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expressed hope that soon a large volume of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against the novel coronavirus will arrive in Venezuela.

"I hope that thousands and millions of Sputnik V vaccine doses will soon arrive in Venezuela," Maduro told a meeting with Russia’s delegation of observers broadcast on his YouTube account. He also noted that the vaccine’s trials in the Bolivarian Republic had been successful.

Earlier reports said Caracas had received 2,000 vaccine doses in order to take part in the third phase of clinical trials. Venezuelan Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez suggested localizing the vaccine’s production in the Caribbean state.

The Venezuelan government reported first two coronavirus cases in the republic on March 13, and a state of emergency was declared on the same day. On March 17, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro imposed the quarantine across the country. Since the start of the pandemic, Venezuela has registered 95,149 coronavirus cases and 830 deaths.

Russia registered the world’s first vaccine against the novel coronavirus on August 11. The vaccine, dubbed Sputnik V, was developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Health Ministry, and its clinical trials were successfully completed in June-July. The Russian Health Ministry said on August 15 that production of the vaccine had been launched. The third, post-registration, stage of clinical tests began in Moscow on September 7. Volunteers received the first dose of the vaccine on September. As many as 40,000 people are involved in the trials, with 10,000 of them being given a placebo.

According to the interim test results, the vaccine’s efficiency exceeds 95% on the 42nd day after inoculation with the first dose in case the patient received the second dose as well.

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