Kazakhstan begins using indigenous COVID-19 vaccine

Nur-Sultan [Kazakhstan], April 27 : Kazakhstan has joined the list of countries that have produced and made available their own COVID-19 vaccine.
The country on Monday started administering its COVID-19 vaccine called QazVac.
Health Minister Alexey Tsoy received his first dose of QazVac vaccine in a local outpatient clinic in the capital Nur-Sultan on Monday, Kazinform reported.
After being inoculated in a live broadcast, Tsoy said he feels good, adding they have started vaccinating the public in various parts of the country, Anadolu Agency reported.
Developed by the Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems of Kazakhstan, the QazVac vaccine can be stored at temperatures between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius (35-46 degrees Fahrenheit).
Kazakhstan is one of the five countries in the world that has developed its own vaccine against COVID-19.
The vaccine will be administered in two doses, 21 days apart.
The first batch of QazVac vaccine - 50,000 doses - was delivered to SK Pharmacy hubs on April 23.
As many as 6,000 doses will be supplied to Nur-Sultan and Almaty cities, 4,000 doses - to the city of Shymkent as well as Karaganda, East Kazakhstan, and Almaty regions. The rest of the regions will receive 2,000 doses each.
The vaccination against the coronavirus started on February 1 in Kazakhstan. The nation currently uses Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, which is manufactured at the Karaganda pharmaceutical plant.
Kazakhstan, whose population is estimated at 1.87 crores, has reported 3,62,000 COVID-19 cases so far. The death toll due to COVID-19 in the country stands at 3,315.