Plan to Give Each Russian Vaccinated against Coronavirus Unique Number Likely to Push Down Number Agreeing to Inoculation

Paul Goble

            Staunton, August 26 – Russians very much oppose being identified by number; and consequently, plans by the Gamaley Center to record each person vaccinated against the coronavirus with a unique number to allow for further research will likely push down the number of people who agree to be inoculated (nakanune.ru/news/2020/8/26/22582229/).

            Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin says that in seeking 40,000 people to sign up for vaccinations, the authorities have decided to allow people over 60 to participate, an indication they may be having difficulty finding enough volunteers (regnum.ru/news/3046567.html). The mayor insisted the vaccination is completely safe (regnum.ru/news/3046584.html).

            Twenty-seven countries have announced that they would like to buy the Russian vaccine (ria.ru/20200826/vaktsina-1576342539.html), Brazil would like to produce it under license (regnum.ru/news/3046683.html), and Vladimir Putin says Moscow will expand links with Beijing on all aspects of the pandemic (regnum.ru/news/3046305.html).

            These things all happened as the US imposed sanctions on the Russian laboratory which produced the vaccine (regnum.ru/news/3046613.html).

            Moscow officials announced that they have registered 4676 new cases of infection, bringing the pandemic-length number to 970,865 and 115 new deaths over the last 24 hours, boosting that toll to 16,683 (t.me/COVID2019_official/1361). Regional officials insisted that the figures are accurate: we have no reason to lie, they say (regnum.ru/news/3046210.html).

            The pandemic continued to ebb and flow across Russia, with re-openings and re-closings occurring in different places in response (regnum.ru/news/3046557.html). The most controversial issue now is how to reopen the schools. Putin weighed in by saying that the end to restrictions must be done in a professional manner (regnum.ru/news/society/3045839.html).

            A new Rosstat study concludes that Russians’ spending has dropped more over the last year than their incomes. Noting that they haven’t been retiring bank debt, the state statistical agency concludes that Russians are hoarding money in expectation of a possible further deterioration of the situation (krizis-kopilka.ru/archives/79471).

            Meanwhile, in other pandemic-related developments in Russia today,

·         Psychiatric facilities in Tomsk Oblast have become sources of new coronavirus infections (regnum.ru/news/3046604.html).

·         The Gamaley Center announced that it would begin to study secondary immunity to the coronavirus after Russians are vaccinated (regnum.ru/news/3046506.html).

·         Russians purchased almost the same number of tour tickets this summer as last but they took shorter and less expensive trips than in 2019 (regnum.ru/news/3046015.html).