The results of a survey released on 1 March 2021 by independent pollster Levada-Centre (Levada) indicate that over 60% of Russians said they are not ready to get a shot of the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, CNN reported on Tuesday.

According to Levada, which conducted the poll in late February 2021 and queried 1,601 people in 50 regions via in-person interviews, 62% of Russians surveyed said they don't want to be vaccinated with Sputnik V. Only 30% said they would, as compared to 38% in December 2020.

The main reasons stated by respondents against getting the vaccine were concerns over side effects (37% of those not ready for vaccination) or wanting to wait until the trials are complete (23%).

Another 16% of respondents said they "don't see any point" in getting vaccinated. In December 2020, fewer people feared side effects (29%) and more were waiting for the trials to finish (30%).

This survey also found that 64% of people thought the theory that COVID-19 was created artificially as a biological weapon was more probable than its natural origin, which only 23% believed.

Reportedly, the origins of COVID-19 became highly politicised in 2020 and many conspiracy theories have arisen in the US, Russia and elsewhere about the origins of the virus in humans.

The World Health Organisation team that went to Wuhan, China in February 2021 to explore the origins of COVID-19 said the version that the virus emerged from a lab is highly unlikely and is not being investigated further.