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Russia’s sanitary watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has launched tests of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, TASS reports.

"In Russia in order to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology Vector of Rospotrebnadzor has swiftly developed prototypes of vaccines based on six various technological platforms," the watchdog said.

Experts have managed to create vaccines based on broadly used recombinant viral vectors of flu.

"When new vaccines are developed in modern biology it is necessary to carry out in vivo tests on sensitive laboratory animals," Rospotrebnadzor said.

These tests are aimed at defining the most effective dose, its frequency and the methods of application.

The coronavirus outbreak was registered in central China in late December 2019. On March 11, the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. COVID-19 infection cases have been recorded in more than 140 countries. According to the latest data, over 210,000 people have contracted the virus and about 8,500 have died. In Russia, 199 coronavirus cases have been registered.