Fast Handling Of COVID-19, Moscow Launches Vaccination Program At Universities

Ilustrasi vaksinasi COVID-19. (Wikimedia Commons/Government of the State of São Paulo)

JAKARTA - Moscow will launch a coronavirus vaccination program at universities across the Russian capital, a city official told state media on Friday.

"We really want to make vaccination against Covid-19 convenient and convenient for as many people as possible. That's why we regularly update vaccination points", Deputy Mayor for Social Development, Anastasia Rakova, told the state-run Rosiiskaya Gazeta newspaper, as quoted The Moscow Times Friday, June 4th.

"So far, 21 universities have agreed to offer on-campus vaccinations, including the prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO)", Rakova continued.

For months, Muscovites over the age of 18 have received free COVID-19 vaccines at more than 100 vaccination points across the city, including in shopping centers and food courts.

Older residents in Moscow are also eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations at home, as well as a voucher of 1,000 rubles ($14) to spend at grocery stores and pharmacies.

Despite widespread access, the city's vaccination rate has been slower than expected, with less than 10 percent of people in Moscow, the epicenter of the pandemic in Russia, being vaccinated in the last month, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

To note, a recent poll by the Levada Center showed, the majority of Russians (62 percent) are still not ready to be vaccinated with the Sputnik V injection, which is Russia's COVID-19 vaccine.