The trials, conducted by the Russian Defense Ministry and the Nikolai Gamaleya Epidemiology and Microbiology Research Center, began in mid-June at a prestigious military hospital in Moscow, with a group of volunteers made up mainly of Russian military personnel, but also by some civilians.

The first group, of 18 volunteers, ended their participation and left the hospital, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the main task for this group was to check the safety of the vaccine and the tolerance of the human organism to its components.

The volunteers remained hospitalized for 28 days after the vaccination on June 18, and underwent daily examinations.

During this period, his body's vital functions remained within normal limits, without any serious adverse effects or complications being recorded, the statement said.

A second group of 20 volunteers, who were vaccinated on June 23, is currently in isolation at the hospital under medical supervision, according to the statement.

Clinical trials of this vaccine are due to be completed by the end of July, he adds.

Russia records 746,369 cases of coronavirus and 11,770 deaths from Covid-19, according to official figures on Wednesday.

US Moderna entering final phase of human trials

At the same time, US biotech company Moderna said Tuesday that its Covid-19 vaccine will enter the final phase of human testing on July 27, making it the first laboratory to reach that stage.

The trial will be conducted with 30,000 participants in the United States, half of whom will receive the vaccine in doses of 100 micrograms, while the other half will be given a placebo.

The goal of the trial will be to prevent any symptoms of Covid-19. Secondary goals include avoiding a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The study will run until October 27.

The announcement places Moderna at the forefront of the race towards a vaccine against the new coronavirus, which, since the end of December, has infected more than 13 million people worldwide and caused more than 570 thousand deaths.

Scientists caution, however, that the first vaccines are not necessarily the most effective or safest.

Moderna's technology aims to provide the body with the genetic information necessary to preventively develop protection against the coronavirus.