With Covid-19 vaccine almost ready, Russia intends to create special version – just for kids

Russia is developing a special Covid-19 vaccine just for children, who require a different level of protection, according to the country's health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor.

In an interview with TV channel Russia 1, Rospotrebnadzor head Anna Popova said that "there has to be a special vaccine for children, for which special safety requirements must be met."

Popova noted that the immunization should not be expected in 2020.

"So far, work has only just begun," she said.

"To say that this vaccine for children will come in the near future, or this year, would probably be premature."

According to the head of the watchdog agency, it is not yet known how well children form immunity to the disease.

As it currently stands, Russia is in the final stages of testing a general vaccine for Covid-19. Developed in conjunction with the country's Ministry of Defense, Moscow's Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Russia's home-grown Coronavirus vaccine is expected to be registered in August, and to begin mass production shortly afterwards.

Official government numbers show that Russia has 720,547 confirmed cases of Covid-19, behind just the US (3,188,982) Brazil (1,800,827) and India (820,916). Russia saw its maximum daily cases peak at 11,565, on May 11, and has reported less than 7,000 per day since June 25. 11,205 people have died of Covid-related causes.

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