Health minister gets first Sputnik V vaccine made in Belarus

Dmitry Pinevich has been the first to get a shot of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine rolled out by the Belarusian pharmaceutical company Belmedpreparaty, BelTA informs citing the press service of the Healthcare Ministry.

“We can officially declare that this batch is already in mass circulation,” the minister said.

After a meeting with Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko on 26 March Dmitry Pinevich announced that he was going to be the first to get a jab of the vaccine that would get off the Belarusian conveyor belt. “I could have been vaccinated even now, I have antibodies. However, I promised that the first vaccine that will get off the Belmedpreparaty conveyor belt and pass quality controls, maybe even the one that is with me now [Dmitry Pinevich brought samples of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine to the meeting with the head of state] will go to me,” the minister said.