The World Health Organization announced that it is discussing pre-qualification procedures for the COVID-19 vaccine with Russia today (11th local time), AFP news agency reported.

WHO spokesman Tarik Yasarevich told a video press briefing that "we are in close contact with Russian authorities and are discussing the possibility of WHO pre-qualification for vaccines."

“The WHO has in place a pre-qualification process for vaccines and drugs,” he said. “For any vaccine, pre-qualification involves a rigorous review and evaluation of all essential data on safety and efficacy.”

"We are excited by the speed at which several vaccine candidates are being developed, and we hope some of them will prove to be safe and effective," he said. "Accelerating the procedure does not mean compromising safety."

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was the world's first officially registered vaccine for COVID-19.

He said that the vaccine has gone through all the validation procedures required, and that one of my two daughters also participated in a clinical trial of the vaccine and was vaccinated.

In response, some experts in Russia as well as foreign countries are concerned that a hasty vaccination that has not undergone a tertiary clinical trial for several months on thousands to tens of thousands of people could have serious side effects. 

(Photo = Reuters, Yonhap News)