The Defence Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), as well as the Republic of Serbia, who arrived in Russia on September 4 to participate in a joint meeting were also presented the world's first registered Russian vaccine against COVID-19.

Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh congratulated the government and people of Russia for successfully managing the coronavirus pandemic in the country and lauded its scientists for developing a vaccine against the deadly disease.

“It reminds us again that the mankind must unite forgetting differences to prevent and mitigate higher forces of nature, which do not recognise national distinctions,” Singh added during the SCO meeting in Russia.

Singh also expressed his condolences and sympathy to families of those who perished from the COVID-19 pandemic and those whose lives are devastated. “It reminds us again that mankind must unite, forgetting differences to prevent and mitigate higher forces of nature, which do not recognise national distinctions,” he added during the SCO meeting in Russia.

I congratulate Government and people of Russia for successfully managing the Pandemic.

We applaud Russian scientists and health workers for spearheading the Sputnik V vaccine. I wish you all health and success in this time of Pandemic! Thank you: RM at SCO meet in Moscow

— ????? ?????? ????????/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) September 4, 2020

President Vladimir Putin had announced last month that Russian scientists had developed the world's first vaccine, named Sputnik-V, against COVID-19..

Specialists of the Russian Ministry of Defence presented the world's first registered Russian vaccine against the new coronavirus infection to the heads of military departments of the gathered countries to participate in the joint meeting.

Russian military medics presented detailed information to the foreign delegates about the joint activities implemented by research institutions of the Russian Ministry of Defence and the National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology named after Academician Gamaleya N.F. as part of the development and testing of a vaccine, as well as the procedure for conducting vaccinations.

Shoigu also added that "As the domestic vaccine arrives at the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, first of all, it will be possible to vaccinate on a voluntary basis those categories of servicemen who directly and actively interact with the personnel: military medics and commanders of all levels. In the future, other categories of servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces will be able to receive vaccinations against the new coronavirus infection on a voluntary basis.”

The presentation of the COVID-19 vaccine caused an active discussion of the heads of foreign military departments, many of whom expressed interest in obtaining it. Answering questions from his colleagues from foreign countries, Russian Defence Minister, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu said that he had recently been vaccinated with a domestic vaccine against a new coronavirus infection.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Friday got #COVID19 vaccine??#SputnikV#RussianVaccine @mod_russia pic.twitter.com/Y5334RF0dh

— Russia in India (@RusEmbIndia) September 4, 2020

Shoigu also added that "As the domestic vaccine arrives at the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, first of all, it will be possible to vaccinate on a voluntary basis those categories of servicemen who directly and actively interact with the personnel: military medics and commanders of all levels. In the future, other categories of servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces will be able to receive vaccinations against the new coronavirus infection on a voluntary basis.”

The Lancet journal on Friday reported the first peer-reviewed results of the Russian vaccine, according to which, the 'Sputnik V' COVID-19 vaccine produced antibody response in all participants with no serious adverse events in small human trials. Results from early-phase non-randomised vaccine trials in a total of 76 people show that two formulations of the vaccine have a good safety profile detected over 42 days, and induce antibody responses in all participants within 21 days. Secondary outcomes from the trial suggest the vaccine, approved last month by Russia, also produces a T cell response within 28 days, the researchers said.