MOSCOW, February 3. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his appreciation to his Argentinean counterpart, Alberto Fernandez, for being the first country in the Western Hemisphere to register the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V.
"I thank you for being the first country to register Sputnik V in the Western Hemisphere. Currently, the first contract [for vaccine supplies] is actually close to completion; out of 20 mln doses, almost 15 mln were delivered to Argentina," Putin said.
Sputnik V production was launched earlier on sites in Argentina, the Russian President noted. Over 6 mln doses of the pharmaceutical have already been produced and registration of the Sputnik M vaccine for adolescents is in progress.
"I would like to congratulate you with such a large-scale of vaccination performed; you have almost 78% of the population vaccinated. This is a very good result," Putin said.
The countries still have to do much for the promotion of bilateral trade and economic cooperation but the pace of its development is good overall, he concluded.