Russia’s Health Ministry announces talks with Germany on joint production of Russian coronavirus vaccines

Germany is prepared to cooperate with Russia on the production of Russian vaccines against the coronavirus, German Health Minister Jens Spahn told his Russian counterpart Mikhail Murashko during a phone conversation on Friday, December 18.

“According to the agreement reached, in the near future Russian and German experts will soon hold working talks to try to find production facilities for the joint production of Russian vaccines,” the Russian Health Ministry reported in a press release.

The health ministry’s statement did not specify which Russian vaccines were discussed.

• Russia has two registered vaccines against COVID-19: the Gamaleya Research Institute’s “Sputnik V” vaccine and the Vector Research Center’s “EpiVacCorona.”
• Mass vaccination campaigns began in Moscow on December 5 and, according to the health ministry, all of Russia’s regions have been provided with doses of Sputnik V as of December 14. The vaccine’s developers maintain that it’s more than 90 percent effective and 100 percent effective against severe cases of COVID-19.