MOSCOW: Russia has vaccinated 2.2 million people against COVID-19 with its Sputnik V vaccine, of which more than 1.7 million people received both doses, the Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the shot's developers.

Scientists gave Russia's Sputnik V vaccine the green light this month, saying it was almost 92% effective in fighting COVID-19 based on peer-reviewed, late-stage trial results published in The Lancet international medical journal.

Russia hopes to vaccinate the bulk of its population by mid-summer, reaching a figure of 70% immunity, Interfax cited Denis Logunov, deputy director for scientific work at the Gamaleya Institute that developed and tested the vaccine, as saying.

Around 4 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine have thus far been distributed to Russia's regions, the TASS news agency cited Health Minister Mikhail Murashko as saying on Wednesday. A further 2 million doses are en route and will be distributed soon, he added.