ALMATY, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan plans to vaccinate about 6 million people, or almost a third of its population, against the coronavirus this year, healthcare minister Alexei Tsoy said on Tuesday.
Vaccinations will begin on Feb.1, with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine being offered to medical workers, he told a government meeting. Kazakhstan also aims to produce Sputnik V at home.
The central Asian nation bordering China and Russia has confirmed about 217,000 cases of COVID-19 and pneumonia probably caused by the virus, with 2,965 deaths. (Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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