Moscow ramping up COVID-19 vaccination

More than half a million people in Moscow have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine or about 4% of its population. Now, Russia is aiming to both ramp up domestic vaccinations and exports of its Sputnik V vaccine.  

Moscow has been one of the few cities that has had a surplus of COVID-19 vaccine. 

Now, some 12,000 to 20,000 residents sign up daily for the vaccines, according to the Department of Information Technologies of Moscow. 

The Russian capital has a population of 12.7 million.

The country’s two-dose Sputnik V vaccine has an efficacy of 91.6%, according to interim trial results. 

Moscow is administering the vaccines with a network of 100 clinics and 20 public places with mobile vaccinators. 

A growing number of categories of Moscow residents are eligible for the vaccine, which includes people over the age of 60, retirement-home residents and university students. 

Many large companies based in the city have requested on-site vaccination for their staff.  

Russia was one of the first countries to announce a widescale vaccination program. 

In January, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said he expected at least 60% of the country’s population to be vaccinated by the middle of the year. 

As in many parts of the world, COVID-19 cases have fallen considerably in Russia in the first two months of 2021. 

Russia is also working to make its COVID-19 vaccine available to other countries. As of Feb. 19, some 50 countries had ordered 1.2 billion doses of the Sputnik V vaccine.