MOSCOW, Aug. 11 (AFP) - Russia has become the first country in the world to register a vaccine against COVID-19, President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday during a government meeting, APA reports citing Sputnik.

The president also asked Health Minister Mikhail Murashko to keep him informed about the vaccine, while at the same time noting that he knows "it works quite effectively" and "forms a stable immunity".

Putin further thanked everyone who worked on the first-ever vaccine against the coronavirus, and described it as "a very important step for the world".

Russia's first vaccine against the coronavirus was developed jointly by the Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian Defence Ministry. Clinical trials of the vaccine were launched on 18 June and all 38 volunteers developed immunity.