Russian has begun the final clinical stage of testing a possible COVID-19 vaccine, the country’s Defence Ministry said Friday.

The vaccine, which is being developed by the Gamaleya Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology alongside the Defence Ministry, kicked off on 18 June.

According to the statement, participants of the experiments showed an immune response to the coronavirus vaccine.

The coronavirus vaccine, according to reports developed by the institute jointly with the defence ministry will give people protection against the virus for over two years, the director of the national research centre, Alexander Gintsburg, said in late June.

He explained that the vaccine is given twice with the same gene injected using different carriers, which allows to not just get protective immunity, but to acquire it for a longer period.

Coronavirus was first registered in Chian’s Wuhan. As of today, more than 12.2 million people have been infected with COVID-19 globally, of whom over 550,000 have died.