Russia starts production of COVID-19 vaccine: Media

Russia has started manufacturing its new vaccine for COVID-19, and a mass vaccination campaign may start in Russia in December-January, local media reported on Saturday, citing the health ministry.

Russia has said the vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute and the first for the coronavirus to go into production, will be rolled out by the end of this month.

Vaccination of people from risk groups will start in August, said Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Health Ministry, adding that a limited amount of the vaccine has been produced inside the country thus far.