Self-Isolated Football Legend Maradona Says Trusts in Putin, Russian COVID-19 Vaccine

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Diego Maradona, a renowned football player who led Argentina's national team to victory in 1986 FIFA World Cup, has said that he believes Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will supply a coronavirus vaccine soon.

This past Wednesday, the football legend had to self-isolate after coming into contact with his bodyguard, who had tested positive for the coronavirus.

"I believe in Putin. I am convinced that he will soon have a vaccine because this [the pandemic] is no longer tolerable", Maradona told the Argentinian daily Clarin.

According to the footballer, the pandemic is the worst thing that could happen to Latin America.

"I have never seen anything like this before, and Latin America was affected much worse. I wish this all ends soon. So many people were affected, many were left jobless and do not know how to make a living", Maradona added.

On 19 October, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev said that the agency was in talks with Argentina and Peru on supplies of the Sputnik V vaccine for clinical trials, most likely to begin in December. Deals have already been inked with Brazil and Mexico. The RDIF and its partners are also conducting clinical trials in Belarus, India, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.

On 11 August, the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute, became the world's first officially-registered coronavirus vaccine. Furthermore, it became the first registered coronavirus vaccine created using human adenoviral vectors and is now in Phase 3 clinical trials. Russia has since registered another COVID-19 vaccine with a different action mechanism and is underway developing a few more.