Russia's consumer health regulator on Friday said that the country has started testing coronavirus vaccines and hopes to launch its mass production only by the end of the year.

Theresearch center of Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor stated thatthe Russian scientists have developed vaccine prototypes based on six differenttechnological platforms and began tests on Monday to try to work out howeffective they are and in what doses they could be administered.Rospotrebnadzor hoped that the mass production of the vaccines would belaunched in the fourth quarter of 2020.

It maybe mentioned here that the scientists around the world have warned that thedevelopment of a vaccine is a lengthy and complex process that might only yieldsomething for broader use in the next 12-18 months.

Meanwhile,Russia has reported 199 coronavirus cases so far, and one person diagnosed withthe virus has died.