Russia to allocate funds to produce new anti-COVID drug

RUSSIA,UK: The Russian Government will allocate 387 million rubles (about 4.8 million U.S. dollars) to produce Mir-19, a new anti-coronavirus drug developed by Russian scientists.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree on the allocation of the funds, the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers said on Sunday.

The funds will be allocated to the state-owned Institute of Immunology of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, which is the developer of this drug. The money will be used to upgrade and purchase the necessary equipment.

Mir-19 was registered by the Ministry of Health of Russia on December 22, 2021. The drug can prevent and treat coronavirus infection via pulmonary or intranasal administration. It stops the virus from replicating and prevents the most severe forms of the disease, as well as pneumonitis and acute respiratory distress syndromes.

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II, who turns 96 on April 21 has spoken of serious fatigue after she contracted COVID-19 in February despite aides downplaying her illness.

At the time, Buckingham Palace said the vaccinated monarch had “mild, cold-like symptoms”.

But she was forced to cancel a series of appointments with foreign diplomats, at the start of her record-breaking 70th year on the throne.

Queen Elizabeth recalled her experience on Wednesday when she spoke to staff and patients by video-link to mark the opening of a hospital unit named in her honour in east London.

Speaking to one former COVID patient who required ventilation, the queen said about the virus: “It does leave one very tired and exhausted, doesn’t it? “This horrible pandemic. It’s not a nice result,” she said, according to footage released by the palace on Sunday.

The unit at the Royal London Hospital was built in record time to cope with an influx of COVID sufferers. – XINHUA, INDIA TODAY