Belarus to be 1st foreign recipient of Russian vaccine

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Under an agreement reached by the two countries’ leaders in a phone call, Belarus will be the first foreign recipient of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine, the Belarusian presidency said on Monday.

Belarusians will also take part in the third phase of trials on a voluntarily basis, a presidential statement said.

On Aug. 1, Russia announced its first vaccine against coronavirus.

Russian officials have confirmed that a mass vaccination could begin as soon as October. Russian President Vladimir Putin said his daughter has already been given the vaccine.

Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko also discussed the latest situation in Belarus and on its borders.

In the wake of a controversial Aug. 9 election, which Lukashenko was declared winner of, the president has accused foreign powers of fueling weeks of protests against his rule.