Russian Official Orders Study Of COVID-19 Vaccination Efficacy For HIV-Positive People

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th February, 2021) Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova has tasked the health ministry and the health protection watchdog with studying coronavirus vaccination efficacy for HIV-positive people, according to the protocol of a meeting of the governmental council for guardianship in the social sphere.

"Russia's health ministry and Rospotrebnadzor must explore the possibility to organize scientific studies of HIV resistance to antiretroviral drugs in Russia's regions, and also studies of COVID-19 vaccination efficacy for HIV-positive people," the document read.

Apart from that, the health ministry, the ministry of industry and trade, and the Federal antimonopoly service will have to make arrangements for signing long-term contracts for antiretroviral drugs purchase and present a report by April 1.

Regional authorities were instructed to focus on uninterrupted availability of diagnostic reagents and expendable materials for providing assistance to HIV-positive people. The health ministry, the Rospotrebnadzor watchdog, the ministry of industry and trade, and the finance ministry will have to analyze accuracy of the currently available rapid HIV tests and to address potential expansion of their use