Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout draws wary, mixed response
by Daria Litvinova, The Associated Press
Posted Dec 17, 2020 2:32 am EDT
Last Updated Dec 17, 2020 at 2:42 am EDT
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova speaks to the media in Moscow on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. Kremlin officials and state-controlled media touted the Russian-developed vaccine against COVID-19 as a major achievement, but among Russians, hopes that the shot would reverse the course of the health crisis has become mixed with wariness and skepticism, reflecting concerns about how it was rushed out. (Dmitry Astakhov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
MOSCOW — While excitement and enthusiasm greeted the Western-developed coronavirus vaccine when it was rolled out, the Russian-made version has received a mixed response, with reports of empty Moscow clinics that offered the shot to health care workers and teachers — the first members of the public designated to receive it.