Russia said Monday that 1.5 million people around the world had been administered Sputnik V, its vaccine against the coronavirus, without giving a precise count by country.
Russia was the first country in the world to license a vaccine last August.
But the announcement was made before the start of mass clinical trials and deemed premature by the international community.
Russia said Monday that 1.5 million people around the world have been administered its vaccine against the Sputnik V coronavirus, strongly promoted by the Kremlin which has made it an instrument of geopolitical influence.
Arseni Palaguine, spokesperson for the Russian Sovereign Fund (RDIF) which financed the development of the vaccine, confirmed this figure to AFP without giving details on the distribution of people vaccinated in the different countries that ordered the Russian vaccine.
"We cannot say how many of them received it in Russia and how many in the rest of the world," he said.
>> LIVE
- Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation Monday January 11
A vaccine greeted with skepticism by the international community
Russia was the first country in the world last August to license a vaccine against the coronavirus, an announcement that was greeted with skepticism by the international community who deemed it premature, even before the start of mass clinical trials (phase 3) and the publication of scientific results.
Last week Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko claimed 800,000 Russians had been vaccinated and 1.5 million doses had been distributed nationwide.
Discussions with WHO
On Sunday, an adviser to Mourashko announced on Russian public television that discussions will begin soon with the World Health Organization (WHO) to have Sputnik V included in a list of vaccines that can be used in situations of 'emergency.
According to the adviser, this would simplify the procedure for registering the vaccine and use it in WHO campaigns in countries with difficult access to the vaccine.
>> READ ALSO
- Putin and Merkel discuss a possible "joint production of vaccines"
A second very deadly wave in Russia
Russia is facing a second wave of the very deadly coronavirus, but the authorities are refusing for the moment any new national containment.
The vaccination campaign for the Russian population began in early December.
Figures published daily by the authorities show 3.42 million people infected since the start of the pandemic and more than 62,000 deaths, but these statistics only list confirmed deaths whose direct cause is the coronavirus, after autopsy.
According to figures based on a broader definition of the causes of death, some 186,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Russia since the start of the epidemic.