MINSK, June 26. /TASS/. Belarus plans to receive Russia’s one-component anti-coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik Light, next month, the republic’s Health Minister Dmitry Pinevich told reporters on Friday.
"We have requested Sputnik Light vaccine and plan to receive it in July. By the start of the academic year, we would like to administer this vaccine to our students. The goal is to gradually vaccinate social groups that typically have very mild symptoms but can be a source of infection for others," Pinevich was quoted as saying by the ministry’s press service.
The minister added that the republic uses mainly Russia’s Sputnik V in its vaccination campaign, and has a sufficient amount of it.
"We maintain day-to-day contact with all regions. The list of requests and the stock of vaccines are practically identical," Pinevich said.
In his words, once all vulnerable social groups are inoculated, a wider vaccination effort will start in the republic. Currently, vaccination stations are working in shopping malls and entertainment centers in Minsk, while many more are due to open in other Belarusian cities soon.
According to the health minister, the republic braces for a surge in novel coronavirus cases.
"However, I don’t think that there will be serious growth [in cases]," he said. "But we are keeping our hospital beds ready to accept new patients."
The Russian Sputnik Light vaccine was certified in Belarus on July 3. On October 1, 2020, Belarus started administering the Russian Sputnik V jab to volunteers within the framework of post-registration trials. The republic became the first country following Russia to officially certify this vaccine. A joint production of Sputnik V has been established in Belarus which is now used to immunize the population.
A total of 413,952 novel coronavirus cases have been registered in Belarus since the start of the pandemic, 3,093 patients have died.