"We have already received 60 percent of the Russian vaccines and on Monday we will start with the Chinese ones," said President Nicolas Maduro.

Caracas, March 6 (RHC)-- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were vaccinated this Saturday as part of the vaccination plan against COVID-19 with the Russian vaccine Sputnik V.

The presidential couple received the Sputnik V dose, after health personnel, who are on the front line of the fight against COVID-19, were all inoculated with the first dose of the vaccine.

In exclusive statements to teleSUR, the Venezuelan president said that we waited for the vaccination of medical personnel and as I told the people I am complying...".

"Worldwide, all the studies say that the Russian vaccine is a vaccine of great power to generate immunity," explained President Maduro.  "I was reading a study they did in Argentina, it was published by Russia Today today about the Russian vaccine and the effectiveness, in Argentina they have vaccinated thousands of people, so in the name of God, with the favor of God and Russian science," he added.

"There is a shortage of vaccines in the world... already almost 40 countries are using the Russian vaccine and the European Union is studying it, so well, let's see, I have a lot of faith in the combination of the Russian, Chinese and Cuban vaccine," the president said.

"We have to buy vaccines and we made an agreement with the Pan American Health Organization, the World Health Organization to release 300,000,000 dollars that they are holding us hostage in England," said Maduro.

"And they have done nothing, in England they have confiscated this money, but we are going to guarantee all the vaccines for the people of Venezuela," he said.

The Venezuelan Vaccination Plan contemplates the free supply to the nearly 31 million inhabitants of the South American country, including foreigners, which includes 6,000,000 Colombians living in the nation.  By April, in a first phase, there will be 10 million.

According to Venezuelan authorities, up to this weekend, about 60 percent of the 100,000 doses of the Russian vaccine which arrived in the country last February 13 have been administered.  

Health authorities indicated that as from Monday, March 8, vaccination with the Chinese antigen will start in order to continue the fight against the coronavirus.