Putin Gets Sputnik Light COVID Vaccine Booster Shot

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Sunday that he had been revaccinated against COVID-19 with Sputnik Light.

"Today, based on your recommendation and the recommendations of your colleagues, I got one more shot with Sputnik Light. This is called revaccination," Putin said during a meeting with Denis Logunov, deputy director of the Gamaleya research center.

The President noted that he was feeling well after the third shot. The president was inoculated with Sputnik V, a two-phase Russian vaccine, having received the second shot on 14 April 2021.

Putin has also offered to become a volunteer in the testing of the Russian nasal vaccine against COVID-19.

"Can I take part in this experiment?" Putin asked Logunov, who replied that this would require signing a form of consent.

"Agreed, I will make sure to sign it. It can be done today," the Russian president said.

During the meeting, Logunov stressed that the vaccination’s effectiveness decreases after six to eight months after the shot and urged people to get booster doses to maintain a high level of protection.

The single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine is based on the first component of the two-dose Sputnik V, on the recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (rAd26) vector. It has proven effective against all new strains of the coronavirus, with no serious side effects registered following the inoculation.

According to the Gamaleya Center analysis, the Sputnik Light vaccine administered alone demonstrated 70% efficacy against the Delta variant during the first three months after vaccination. In the age group up to 60 years, the vaccine has demonstrated 75% effectiveness.