Russia Launches World’s 1st COVID-19 Vaccine, President’s Daughter Gets Vaccinated

While the world is fighting an invisible enemy that has taken millions of lives, thousands of medical experts and scientists have been tirelessly working to develop a vaccine for coronavirus. And the good news is that Russia has approved the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine, claims Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During a virtual meeting with his ministers, President Putin said that for the first time in the world, a vaccine against the new coronavirus was registered in Russia. According to Metro UK, the vaccine has been developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute in collaboration with the country’s defence ministry.

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He went on to say, “I know that it works quite effectively, forms strong immunity, and I repeat, it has passed all the needed checks.” He further added, “The most important thing is to ensure full safety of using the vaccine and its efficiency,” reports The Indian Express.

Putin also said that one of his two daughters has already taken a shot of the new Gam-COVID-Vac Lyo vaccine, and is feeling well. Describing the vaccine as a ‘very important step for the world’, he thanked the people who have worked on developing the vaccine.

It now moves to its final stage of the clinical trials. The Phase 3 trial involves testing on thousands of participants infected with the virus to observe the vaccine’s effectiveness before it gets regulatory approval and can be made available for mass use.

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund which finances the vaccine project, said that they have named its new coronavirus vaccine “Sputnik V” after the Soviet satellite, reports Hindustan Times.


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CBS News reports that several scientists have been raising their eyebrows over the decision to register the vaccine before Phase 3 trials that normally last for months and involve thousands of people. Russia’s vaccine has been developed after less than two months of human testing.

Clarifying this, Russia claimed that ‘this was made possible due to the fact that its Covid-19 vaccine candidate closely resembled a vaccine for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) disease, caused by another coronavirus, that had already been tested extensively,’ reports The Indian Express.

Lawrence Gostin, a global public health law expert at Georgetown University, said, “I’m worried that Russia is cutting corners so that the vaccine that will come out maybe not just ineffective, but also unsafe. It doesn’t work that way. Trials come first”.

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Dr Anthony Fauci, a top US infectious disease specialist, also cautioned researchers rushing through the process. He was quoted saying, “I do hope that the Chinese and the Russians are actually testing a vaccine before they are administering the vaccine to anyone because claims of having a vaccine ready to distribute before you do testing I think is problematic at best.” However, Putin hopes the country would soon start mass-producing the vaccine.

Russia’s health minister Mikhail Murashko said members of “risk groups” such as medical workers might be offered the vaccine this month and a mass vaccination programme would be launched in October. However, Murashko also added that ‘the vaccine’s registration is conditional and trials will continue while the production gets underway.’

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are more than 100 possible Covid-19 vaccines currently being developed around the world, out of which, at least four are in Phase 3 human trials.

Let’s just hope the COVID vaccines being developed are effective as well as affordable, so the world can finally beat the coronavirus pandemic.

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