Russia is all set to become the first country in the world to register a fully effective coronavirus vaccine. Country's Deputy Health Minister Oleg Gridnev has confirmed that the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Moscow's Gamaleya institute will be registered for use in Russia on August 12.

The vaccine is jointly manufactured by the Gamaleya Institute and the Russian Defence Ministry.

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko had, a couple of days ago, announced that the vaccine had completed the final stages of clinical trials and showed a high rate of effectiveness. He also said that the government will be vaccinating doctors and teachers in the month of August itself, before launching a country-wide vaccination campaign in October.

The clinical trials in Russia had begun in mid-June at about 7 clinical investigation sites located across the country.

Coronavirus vaccine candidates across the world are under the final stages of trials.

Russia has the fourth-highest number of coronavirus cases in the world only behind the USA, Brazil and India.

Recently, Russian media quoted Mikhail Murashko as saying that doctors and teachers would be the first to receive the vaccine. Reuters, citing anonymous sources, said Russia's first potential vaccine would be approved by regulators this month. However, some experts are concerned about Russia's fast-track approach.

On Friday, the leading infectious disease expert in the US, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said he hoped that Russia - and China - were "actually testing the vaccine" before administering them to anyone. Dr Fauci has said that the US should have a "safe and effective" vaccine by the end of this year.

"I do not believe that there will be vaccines so far ahead of us that we will have to depend on other countries to get us vaccines," he told US lawmakers.

Mr. Murashko, quoted by Interfax news agency, said that the Gamaleya Institute, a research facility in Moscow, had finished clinical trials of a vaccine and that paperwork was being prepared to register it.

"We plan wider vaccinations for October," he said, adding that teachers and doctors would be the first to receive it.

Last month, Russian scientists said that early-stage trials of an adenovirus-based vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Institute had been completed and that the results were a success.

On 15 July Russian scientists announced that early-stage trials of a vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Institute had been completed
Last month the UK, US and Canada security services said a Russian hacking group had targeted various organizations involved in Covid-19 vaccine development, with the likely intention of stealing information.

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it was more than 95% certain that the group called APT29 - also known as The Dukes or Cozy Bear - was part of Russian intelligence services.

Russia's ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, rejected the accusation, telling the BBC that there was "no sense in it".

In the UK, trials of a vaccine developed by Oxford University have shown that it can trigger an immune response and a deal has been signed with AstraZeneca to supply 100 million doses in Britain alone.