Written by Staff Writer
President Vladimir Putin has tested a vaccine against influenza in the Russian Federation, his spokesman said on Monday.
The test involved launching a dose of the vaccine into the nostrils of a recipient using a specially designed spray gun, Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
“During testing, President Putin found the vaccination objective validated and confirmed. We therefore will soon start commercial production of the vaccine,” he said.
A report by the state-funded Russian TV channel Rossiya 1 showed a video of the president injected with a red liquid in a room decorated with portraits of Putin.
“Vladimir Putin fully acclimated to the unique” spray weapon system, the station said.
“This is one of the most unusual exercises Vladimir Putin has ever completed,” Peskov said at a press conference following the video shoot.
The vaccine contains a component of a vaccine produced by California-based Synovis Life Technologies, according to Rossiya 1.
In 2016, Russia tested another vaccine — Covid-18 — which officials said had shown more than 90% effectiveness against the H5N1 bird flu virus in chickens.
Imagery showed the presidential head of state sucking on a glass tube containing a vial of the drug.
Covid-19 is licensed to Russia’s Emergencies Ministry and will be supplied free of charge to 1.4 million people, Peskov said.
The director of Synovis, Gilbert Lowe, said on Twitter the Kremlin authorized the distribution of the vaccine but did not say how many doses would be made available.