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'Reliable and safest': Putin urges locals to take Russian Covid jabs but rules out forced vaccination

WION Web Team
Moscow, RussiaUpdated: May 27, 2021, 06:02 PM IST
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Russian President Vladimir Putin (file photo). Photograph:(AFP)

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Putin has now urged locals to put trust in the Russian vaccines and has assured that the local vaccines are 'the most reliable and safest'

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has urged locals to get vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus as soon as possible. However, he has also cleared the air around reports of jabs being made compulsory.

While scientists and health experts have been pushing the vaccines, locals have remained skeptical about the efficacy of the jabs and are worried about the side effects that these vaccines could cause.

Out of 12 million residents, only 1.3 million Russians have been vaccinated yet, which is one of the lowest in Europe.

Putin, however, has now urged locals to put trust in the Russian vaccines and has assured that the local vaccines are "the most reliable and safest".

"The most important thing is health. Please think about it," Putin said at a government meeting. "Citizens should themselves understand this need, realise that if they do not get vaccinated they can face a very serious and even deadly danger."

However, he has also clarified that the Russian government will not be making covid jabs compulsory for locals, as opposed to few media reports.

Meanwhile, the government has also lifted majority coronavirus restrictions, as locals have been refusing to wear masks on public transports and restaurants.

Russia was one of the first countries to register a coronavirus vaccine, called Sputnik V. In addition to that, Russia has also developed two other vaccines, namely EpiVacCorona and CoviVac.