Russia has produced 17,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for animals, its agricultural regulator said on Friday. The country registered Carnivac-Cov in March after tests showed it generated antibodies against COVID-19 in dogs, cats, foxes, rabbits and mink.
The first batch will be supplied to several regions of Russia, Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision, Rosselkhoznadzor, said in a statement.
It said companies from Germany, Greece, Poland, Austria, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Lebanon, Iran and Argentina had expressed interest in purchasing the vaccine.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has voiced concern over the risk of transmission of the virus between humans and animals. Rosselkhoznadzor said earlier that the vaccine would help prevent mutations in animals.
Companies exploiting animals like mink farms have great interest in the vaccine. Last year, Denmark killed 17 million mink after some animals were carrying a mutated coronavirus variant.
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