Belarus registers Sputnik V vaccine, in first outside Russia - RDIF

FILE PHOTO: A nurse shows Russia's "Sputnik-V" vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) prepared for inoculation in a post-registration trials stage at a clinic in Moscow, Russia September 17, 2020. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Belarusian health ministry has registered Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, becoming the first country outside Russia to do so, Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund said on Monday.

Belarus, a close ally of Russia, began conducting clinical trials using the vaccine on volunteers on Oct. 1 and also reviewed data received during Russia's Phase III clinical trials, the Russian Direct Investment Fund said.