Argentina kicks off vaccine campaign with Russia's Sputnik V

Argentina has begun administering the Russian-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to its population, local media reported on Tuesday, with nearly 300,000 doses distributed in all the provinces in the South American country.

The Argentinian Telam news agency reported that the vaccination campaign was launched simultaneously across the country.

The first batch will go to health workers. Besides a nurse, the governor and deputy health secretary of the province of Buenos Aires were among the first to receive the vaccination.

"Today is the beginning of the end of the pandemic in Argentina," the governor wrote on Twitter.

Expectations, mistrust

The start of the nationwide vaccination campaign is facing many expectations, as well as some mistrust. Russia was the first country in the world to approve Sputnik V for widespread use, even before an important and final test phase had begun.

More than 1.5 million people in Argentina have been infected with the coronavirus, with 43,000 related deaths.