Coronavirus pandemic: Russia to begin COVID-19 vaccine trials within two weeks

Russia is planning to begin clinical trials within the next two weeks to develop a vaccine to combat the novel coronavirus, the health minister reported on Saturday.

The authorities also approved the country's first anti-coronavirus drug while the officials also claimed that Russian researchers are currently working on atmost 50 different vaccine projects.

Russia is currently the third-worst affected country by COVID-19, with 396,575 positive cases in the contry on Sunday.

"The tests are under way and we plan to start clinical trials in the next two weeks," Health Minister Mikhail Murashko was quoted by a local news agency.

According to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the Health Ministry has also given the go-ahead to Avifavir for COVID-19 treatment.

They also added how it was developed on the basis of a drug generically known as favipiravir.

Avidavir has been reported successful in the first stage by RDIF who hopes it will also prove to be successful in the final stage, with the participation of 330 patients.

Rinat Maksyutov, director-general of the state-run Vektor Institute in Siberia, has undertaken one of the Russian vaccine projects and has said that the trial was successful on animals.