Moscow: Russian citizens are being advised to avoid alcohol for two months after receiving the country’s COVID-19 Sputnik V vaccine.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said in an interview that people will have to be very careful and take extra precautions for at least 42 days – the time span the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine is expected take to become effective, New York Post reported.
“[Russians] will have to refrain from visiting crowded places, wear face masks, use sanitizers, minimize contacts and refrain from drinking alcohol or taking immunosuppressant drugs,” Golikova told TASS News Agency.
Russia’s consumer safety watchdog chief Anna Popova echoed a similar warning.
“It’s a strain on the body. If we want to stay healthy and have a strong immune response, don’t drink alcohol,” she said.
Curtailing drinking habits will be easier said than done in a country which is the fourth largest consumer of alcohol per person in the world. According to World Health Organization, Russians consume 15.1 litres of alcohol a year on average.
Russia rolled out its vaccination programme last weekend. Around 100,000 people have already received the shot.
Russian health officials have claimed that the Sputnik V vaccine is over 90 per cent effective, but some media reports have said that healthcare workers who have been administered the vaccine have contracted the virus.
Several experts have expressed doubts over the speed at which the Russian vaccine was developed. No data was provided by the vaccine developers to back their claims.
