Venezuela to get first batch of Sputnik V next week

"We announce the arrival of the first batch," he said, adding that the delivery will take place ‘next week’, Tass reported.

According to Maduro, "all medical personnel in Venezuela, those who are most likely to become infected" will be the first to get the vaccine.

"After that, we will start vaccinating teachers and members of the Movement We Are Venezuela (MSV) in full," he said.

Earlier, Maduro said Sputnik V demonstrated the efficiency of 100% during clinical trials in Venezuela. In December, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said an agreement had been reached with the Russian side on supplies of the Sputnik V vaccine.

In October, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) reported that Venezuela had received 2,000 doses of the Russian vaccine in order to participate in Phase Three of clinical trials. Nicolas Maduro Guerra, the son of the Venezuelan president, was among the first volunteers to get the injection.

On August 11, 2020, Russia became the first worldwide to register a vaccine against the coronavirus dubbed Sputnik V. It was developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Healthcare Ministry. Sputnik V is a human adenovirus-based vector vaccine. The Sputnik V jab has already been registered in Russia, Belarus, Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, Algeria, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan, Hungary, the UAE, Iran, the Republic of Guinea, Tunisia and Armenia.

MAH/TASS