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Updated March 29th, 2021 at 10:49 IST

Vladimir Putin felt 'minor side effects' from COVID-19 vaccine after first dose: Report

Vladimir Putin administered the first dose of the locally manufactured COVID-19 vaccine in private, without the cameras last week, his spokesperson said.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
Vladimir Putin
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Russian President Vladamir Putin experienced mild side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine late on Sunday, according to Moscow’s Interfax news agency. Speaking at  Rossiya 1 TV channel, the leader said that he had experienced a slight pain in the muscles and fatigue, although he said that his body temperature was normal. He also reported feeling “uncomfortable” on the spot where he received the jab. It, however, remains unclear which of the three vaccines approved for emergency use in Russia Putin had taken. 

Russia’s Putin was administered the first dose of Russia-made COVID-19 vaccine in private, without the cameras to encourage people to get vaccinated. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that administering the shot publically would make a difference for the citizens. The Russian leader also landed a controversy for getting jabbed amid a sluggish rollout of the vaccines, as only a meager 4.3 percent of Russia's total 146-million population has received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Got vaccinated on March 24

The 68-year-old Moscow President got the vaccine on March 24, although he did not specify to the government officials which jab among EpiVacCorona, Sputnik V, and CoviVac he was going to take. Sputnik V, meanwhile, has much fanfare in Russia and was the world’s first to receive approval in August 2020. At a presser, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “all of the vaccines are good and reliable.” Putin also reiterated similar remarks about the Russian manufactured jabs saying that “today we can confidently say that the Russian vaccines are absolutely reliable and safe.” 

Furthermore, he informed that his administration was targeting to inoculate 60 percent of the population, approximately 69.8 million vaccines to achieve herd immunity. As many as 6.3 million Russians have already received the first dose of the covid vaccines, and nearly 4.3 have been administered with both shots. Putin had expressed his willingness to get the vaccine last month as he told his media managers at a closed-door meeting that he will administer the jab by the end of the summer, although he did not want to do it for the sake of publicity,  a report carried in Russia’s Kommersant newspaper had revealed.

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Published March 29th, 2021 at 10:49 IST

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