Every player at Russia’s CSKA Moscow soccer club has refused vaccination against Covid-19, it was reported on Thursday, with the team allegedly rejecting inoculation against the virus that has killed at least 146,000 Russians.
That’s according to a source for Russian sports outlet Championat, which revealed that, at the moment, only the club’s employees have been vaccinated, with the talent refusing to be jabbed.
According to Sergey Aksenov, the club’s public relations director, the players decided not to get jabbed because 85% of them reportedly have a high level of antibodies. He called the reports of a collective decision “complete nonsense,” however.
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CSKA Moscow is one of Russia’s most recognizable teams, having been founded in 1911. In 2005, it became the first club in Russia to win a European competition. Nowadays, it is owned by VEB, a state development corporation.
The team’s apparent refusal goes against advice from the Russian Football Union, which has encouraged every player to get inoculated. Speaking to Championat, Union head Alexander Dyukov said it was the only way to reduce the risk of the virus.
The news comes as Russia recorded 799 coronavirus-caused deaths in just 24 hours, beating the daily mortality record for the fourth day in a row. In the past two months, the country has suffered a surge in Covid-19 cases – 25,704 new infections were registered on Friday. On the same day in May, Russia recorded just 8,554 new positive tests.
As things stand, Russians have the option of four domestically produced vaccines: Sputnik V, Sputnik Light, EpiVacCorona, and CoviVac. The most well-known, Sputnik V, has been approved in 68 countries around the world.
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