Russia’s Health Ministry has given regulatory approval for the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, President Vladimir Putin said recently. With this, Russia became the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine for use among tens of thousands of its citizens. Officials have said they plan to start mass vaccination in October. Russia has named its vaccine ‘Sputnik V’, in reference to the world’s first satellite Sputnik.
Speaking at a government meeting on the state television, Putin said the vaccine, developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute, was safe and that it had even been administered to one of his daughters. “I would like to repeat that it has passed all the necessary tests,” Putin said. “The most important thing is to ensure the full safety of using the vaccine and its efficiency.”
Amid fears that safety could have been compromised, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged Russia last week to follow international guidelines for producing a vaccine against Covid-19. While the news of a vaccine finally being discovered for the pandemic seems like good news, but the speed at which Russia has moved has worried some scientists who fear Moscow may be putting national prestige before safety.
The vaccine still has to complete the final trials. This stage is usually considered an essential precursor before a vaccine can receive regulatory approval. Russian health workers who have been treating coronavirus patients will be offered the chance to volunteer as part of the study after the vaccine’s approval. Meanwhile, the website for the vaccine states that Phase III clinical trials for Sputnik V will be conducted in India along with other countries and Indian firms have also shown interest in mass-production of the vaccines.
