Russian President Vladimir Putin “was forced to call off” his attendance at a diplomatic conference, an inconvenience that coincides with more bad news for Russian officials hoping to secure international approval of the Sputnik V vaccine.

“As you know, unfortunately, I was forced to call off my visit to Dushanbe at the last moment, and I regret this very much,” Putin said in a virtual appearance at the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s annual meeting. “This is linked, as you know, with the fact that several dozen people in my inner circle, and not just one or two, were diagnosed with COVID-19. And now, I will have to self-isolate for several days.”

Putin’s team implied that the surge of cases around the Kremlin chief reflects an example of breakthrough infections, a phenomenon that has been observed in the United States as well due to the emergency of the highly contagious delta variant. Putin announced his own vaccination months ago, after an initial delay that threatened to undermine his boasts about the safety and efficacy of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.

“Of course, almost everyone was vaccinated in Putin’s inner circle,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, per state media.

‘IMPLANTING A MICROCHIP’: RUSSIA WILL SPIN CONSPIRACIES TO UNDERMINE US CORONAVIRUS VACCINE

Putin’s remarks to the CSTO came hours after the World Health Organization’s Western Hemisphere affiliate threw a yellow flag on the approval of Russia’s vaccine.

“The process for Sputnik V’s emergency use listing was suspended because while inspecting one of the plants where the vaccine is being manufactured, they found the plant was not in agreement with best manufacturing practices,” Pan American Health Organization Assistant Director Jarbas Barbosa told reporters Wednesday.

U.S.-made vaccines at least appear to soften the blow of the virus even for breakthrough infections, although the Food and Drug Administration is debating whether to recommend booster shots in response to evidence that suggests vaccine immunity wanes over time.

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Peskov said he didn’t know how many Kremlin employees have been vaccinated, adding on the question of booster shots that “doctors will give appropriate recommendations for each individual case.”

Original Location: COVID-19 exposure forces Putin to bow out of diplomatic conference

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