Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded the 2020 State Prize for Science and Technology to the creators of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V on the occasion of “Russia Day” as the number of new coronavirus cases grows in the country.
“The power of Russian science was clearly revealed last year, when people around the world waited for scientists to save them from the coronavirus pandemic. And our researchers managed to create the safe and effective Sputnik V vaccine in record time, “he said during the awards ceremony.
The “Day of Russia”, celebrated every June 12, commemorates the declaration of independence of the Russian Federation after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Putin awarded the director of the Gamaleya Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Alexandr Guintsburg; the scientific deputy director of the center, Denís Logunóf, and the head of the Radiochemical Defense Research Center of the Russian Armed Forces, Sergei Borisevich.
This achievement, described by the president as a “triumph”, allowed Russia not only to guarantee Russian citizens access to vaccines, but also to help other countries.
“And this is a responsibility of our country before the whole world as one of the main scientific powers,” he said, noting that this was possible thanks to “the unique knowledge collected during the creation of other vaccines”, such as the Russian drug against ebola.
According to the Russian president, the developments of Russian scientists “pave the way for the creation of other long-awaited vaccines against many dangerous viral diseases.”
Meanwhile, in Russia there is a stable growth of new coronavirus infections amid a reluctance of the population to be vaccinated against this disease despite calls from the authorities.
This Saturday in the country 13,510 new patients were detected during the last day, which means a setback to the levels observed last February, and 399 patients died, according to health authorities.
Of the total of those infected, 2,170 (16.1%) are asymptomatic.
In Moscow, the main focus of covid-19 in the country, 6,701 cases were detected in the last 24 hours, the highest number of infections so far this year.
Although the authorities have ruled out the return of quarantines, they have warned that administrative measures will be applied to those who violate health regulations, mainly the use of masks or social distancing, and they proposed incentives to promote the vaccination campaign.
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