MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia\u2019s consumer health watchdog in the Yakutia region said on Tuesday that all employers must organise COVID-19 vaccines for their employees in a bid to speed up inoculation there.<\/p>\n
The regional branch of the Rospotrebnadzor watchdog said it aimed to vaccinatd 70% of the adult population in the far eastern Russian region by July 1. Yakutia, one of the coldest places on Earth, is home to some 972,000 people.<\/p>\n
The watchdog added that people could refuse to be vaccinated by providing their employers with a written justification explaining the reasons.<\/p>\n
In a separate statement on Tuesday, the regional government said employers could face fines of at least 200,000 roubles ($2,730) for failing to provide employees with vaccines.<\/p>\n
Russia was the first country in the world to approve a COVID-19 vaccine for domestic use, prior to the start of large-scale trials. It has recorded more than 5 million coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic.<\/p>\n
Russia rolled out its first vaccine, Sputnik V, last December, and President Vladimir Putin has insisted on the need to ramp up the production of vaccines for domestic use.<\/p>\n
Putin and other senior Russian officials have insisted that vaccination against COVID-19 is voluntary.<\/p>\n
An independent poll conducted in early March showed that 62% of Russians were not willing to receive the Sputnik V vaccine, with 18 to 24-year-olds most reluctant. Most gave side effects, which can include fever and fatigue, as the main reason.<\/p>\n
($1 = 73.3075 roubles)<\/p>\n