Putin is 'Fine' After Receiving an Experimental Nasal Vaccine
The nasal version is still in clinical trials and has not yet been approved by regulators. In a televised appearance on Sunday, Putin announced that he had received the injected booster and that he would also volunteer to participate in the nasal vaccine testing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that he received an experimental nasal Covid-19 vaccine earlier this week, just a day after receiving a booster injection of the locally developed Sputnik Light vaccine.
The nasal version is still in clinical trials and has not yet been approved by regulators. In a televised appearance on Sunday, Putin announced that he had received the injected booster and that he would also volunteer to participate in the nasal vaccine testing.
Denis Logunov, deputy director of the Gamaleya National Research Center, Sputnik's developer, told Putin that this option provides better protection in the upper respiratory tract against breakthrough infections than injected versions.
The Russian president, 69, stated on Monday that Logunov gave him the nasal version. Putin told a government meeting that he was "fine" after the boosters and that he had exercised today.
Russia claimed to be the first country to approve a Covid vaccine in the summer of 2020, but officials and scientists began receiving the shots before Sputnik was registered. Putin, on the other hand, received his first two-dose immunization only in March of this year.
Vaccines Reduce Delta Transmission by 40%
Covid vaccines reduce transmission of the dominant Delta variant by about 40%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which warns that people are getting a false sense of security.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged vaccinated people to continue taking precautions to avoid contracting Covid-19 and spreading the disease. He noted that more than 60% of all reported Covid-19 cases and deaths occurred in Europe last week.
Unvaccinated people will be barred from entering cinemas, restaurants, and sporting events in Italy beginning December 6, at least until January 15.
