Platoon Director Oliver Stone Says He Feels 'Hopeful' After Receiving Russian Version of COVID-19 Vaccine

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Oscar-winning writer/director Oliver Stone revealed he received the Russian version of the COVID-19 vaccine while filming in the country.

The 74-year-old filmmaker, who's behind classics like Platoon and JFK, is in Russia making a climate change documentary. In an interview with Russian media, distributed by the Associated Press, Stone confirmed he received the vaccine, dubbed Sputnik V.

"I got a vaccine shot. I don’t know if it’s going to work, I got it a few days ago," he says in the AP clip. "I’ve heard good things about the Russian vaccine. I have to get a second shot in 45 days. But I’m hopeful. It's a very good vaccine, I don't understand why it's being ignored in the West."

According to Newsweek, Russia began vaccinations last week, first to high-risk health and education workers aged 18 to 60. People over 60 were not included after experts warned it could be harmful to those in that age bracket, the outlet reported.

In the United States, vaccinations started on Monday after the FDA issued an emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine on Friday.

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MARK LENNIHAN/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Sandra Lindsay

On Monday morning, a Queens critical care nurse became the first New Yorker to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

Sandra Lindsay, an ICU nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, was vaccinated on-camera. The historic moment was livestreamed on Twitter by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

"It didn't feel any different from taking any other vaccine," she said after receiving the shot. "I hope this marks the beginning to the end of a very painful time in our history."

As of Tuesday, there have been more than 16,638,900 COVID-19 cases and 302,300 deaths from coronavirus-related illnesses in the United States, according to a New York Times database.

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