Russia took pride in being the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine. It began vaccinations in December, another global first, but now lags behind a dozen nations that have been using vaccines developed in the West and China.
An analysis of regional media reports by AP found that some 3.2 million had gotten their first shot as of last week.
The drive has picked up speed but is still rather slow, said Alexander Dragan, an independent data analyst who monitors regional vaccination rates.
“Between the beginning of January and now, the vaccination rate has increased 10 times. During the New Year holidays, some 13,000 people a day were being vaccinated, and over the past nine days, I estimate that shots were being given to 135,000-145,000 people daily,” Dragan said.
