Russia Says It Has Already Vaccinated 100,000 People Against Covid-19 And Plans To Hit 2 Million By December | Vaccine

So far, immunization has been carried out as follows, according to the G1 learned from the Russian state fund that finances the development of the vaccine:

• Of the 100,000 vaccinated, about 25 thousand participate in clinical trials Phase 3 (the last one) is taking place in Russia itself. The goal is to include 40,000 volunteers.
• Of those 25,000 participants, 19,000 received the vaccine and 6,000 received a placebo (inactive substance).
• The other approximately 80,000 people who have already been vaccinated in the country are not part of the studies.
• The vaccination target of 2 million people was announced by the director of the fund, Kirill Dmitriev, in an interview with the BBC this Friday (4).

When the Russian government announced the registration of Sputnik V, it also said that it intended to give the vaccine, before the tests were over, to people who were not part of clinical trials. The strategy was criticized by the scientists, because phase 3 serves to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the vaccine on a larger scale before it is applied to the general population.

At the end of November, the country announced that the effectiveness of Sputnik V was greater than 95% 21 days after the application of the second dose. In practice, if a vaccine is 95% effective, it means that 95% of the people who get vaccinated are protected against that disease.

On Thursday (3), the Moscow city government announced that it would start vaccination in the city on Saturday (5). According to the Russian fund, only in the country’s capital there will be 300 vaccination booths.

So far, the vaccine has been distributed in Russia to groups at risk, such as health teams, transport workers and teachers. Some countries have also received Sputnik V, such as Serbia, and others have a production or supply agreement, such as Kazakhstan, India, South Korea, Egypt, Nepal, and Mexico.

The Russian government also signed a partnership with the Paraná government in August to produce Sputnik V on Brazilian soil. Last month, the Russian fund that finances the development of the vaccine announced that Brazil could start production in December.

How the 3 phases work

When testing a vaccine, usually divided into phases 1, 2, and 3, scientists attempt to identify serious adverse effects and whether immunization can induce an immune response (that is, a response from the body’s defense system).

• STAGES: Why Phase 3 Clinical Trials Are Essential to Your Success and Safety

Phase 1 trials generally involve dozens of volunteers; those of phase 2, hundreds; and phase 3, thousands. These phases are usually carried out separately, but due to the urgency of the pandemic, several companies have taken more than one step at the same time.

Before testing in humans, vaccines are tested on animals, usually mice and then monkeys.

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