Head of ROC DECR says he agrees to test COVID-19 vaccine on himself

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk, head of the ROC DECR. Photo: video screenshot on Metropolitan Hilarion's YouTube channel

The Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk, said that he is ready to test the vaccine against the coronavirus on himself.

“I would agree (to test the vaccine – Ed.). and I think that the sooner these tests pass, the better it is, because the risk of infection is still very high, and every day counts,” he said on the air of the “Church and World” program. “We can see it from the numbers of dying people every day. Therefore, the sooner this vaccine is tested and registered, the sooner it becomes public, the better it is.”

According to Metropolitan Hilarion, whether the new coronavirus vaccine will become a panacea depends solely on its quality.

Scientists are now making "heroic efforts to find the means to prevent this terrible disease as soon as possible," he stressed.

"Experience shows that vaccination as a whole is a very serious means of preventing various kinds of viruses," concluded the head of the ROC DECR.

Earlier, the doctor-priest and psychologist gave recommendations on how to overcome the challenges of the pandemic.

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