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In Russia, mass vaccinations against the coronavirus will begin in a few days. Our colleague participated in the tests of the “Sputnik V”. Why did you decide to participate, what is the procedure and what are the side effects? This is his story:
Already in September, candidates were recruited on the Internet: “Become a volunteer in the trials of a new vaccine against COVID-19”. At that time, there was not much information about the Sputnik V vaccine and there were not as many infections in Russia. However, at the end of November, the situation changed radically: the number of newly infected increased considerably. My friends were also infected and their condition was serious. This made me take the risk and participate in the trials.
What they told me before I got vaccinated
On the website of the Moscow city authorities, I found the form that I had to fill out to take the exam. He asked me if I had already contracted the new coronavirus, if I had been in contact with an infected person in the last two weeks and if I had a chronic illness. The health service announced that people who have already had COVID-19 should not be vaccinated. A week later, I was told by phone that I could go to Shadkevich Hospital in Moscow for a preliminary examination.
There, the doctor first asked me if I had been taking any medications lately, she also wanted to know if I had any allergies and what surgeries I had been performed so far. He handed me 16 pages of informational material and briefly explained its contents.
The information said, for example, that the aim of the study was to test the efficacy and safety of the proven Gam-COVID-Vac vaccine, better known by the trade name “Sputnik V”, and also to determine what immunity it creates. In preclinical trials, it was tested in animals such as hamsters and guinea pigs. Both safety and efficacy have been tested on them, while so far only safety in humans has been proven.
I learned that a total of 40,000 people would participate in the study: 30,000 people would receive the vaccine and 10,000 people would receive a placebo. The second dose of vaccine is injected 21 days after the first. Volunteers should keep a diary of their condition. There are no other requirements. However, there is another parallel study in which the doctor offered me to participate. He explained to me that the main study did not verify an important factor: the ability of the vaccine to produce antibodies to neutralize the virus, that is. immunity. This verification is done in the additional test. For participating in it, the state pays 8,500 rubles, about 93 euros. For this, each volunteer contributes 95 milliliters of blood. I decided to participate in this study as well.
Insurance policy for each participant
“Although participation in the study does not put you in danger, there is special insurance for each participant,” explained the doctor. It says that in case of death, the people I mentioned, in this case my parents, will receive two million rubles, that is. 22,000 euros. If the vaccination leads to a disability, they will receive, depending on the degree of disability, between 500,000 and 1.5 million rubles, that is, between 5,500 and 16,500 euros. And if it is only the deterioration of my health without disability, the compensation will be 300,000 rubles, that is. 3300 euros.
After signing off that I was ready to participate in the test, I had a test for AIDS, syphilis, hepatitis C and B, as well as an AKP test and a coronavirus antibody test. My urine was also tested for drug residue. After all my results turned out to be good, I went into vaccination.
Seven days later, it was my turn to get the vaccine. First I signed up, then I went through the four stages: blood donation for antibody test, vaccination, medical examination, rest in a special room.
The vaccine was stored in two refrigerators of the Russian company “Pozis” at minus 28 degrees. A refrigerator of this type costs about 16,000 euros. And after I was injected with the vaccine, I had to lie down in the next room for half an hour because some of the volunteers had their blood pressure lowered after vaccination. For me, however, such an effect did not appear. They also told me that I might have a fever later. In this case I had to take paracetamol. They also asked me not to have children for the next three months because the effect of the vaccine on sperm had not yet been studied. They gave me a document that I had participated in the trial vaccination and sent me home.
What I felt after the vaccine
It wasn’t until I got home that I read what other reactions there had been among the participants to the test vaccines. Some of his messages were published on social networks. Some people had a fever and muscle aches on the day of the vaccine injection or the day after.
At seven in the afternoon, after leaving work, I also felt a headache, a slight chill, and dizziness, but decided to suggest it after all the other participants’ stories that I had read. However, late at night, there was no longer any doubt that my body was responding to the vaccine. My temperature rose to 38.6 and the muscle pain intensified; It was all unpleasant, but it still meant that he had received a vaccine, not a placebo. I took acetaminophen as recommended, wrote down my symptoms in my digital diary, and went to bed. The next day my temperature had dropped to 37 degrees and a day later all the other side effects were gone.
In three weeks I will be injected with the second dose of Sputnik V, and approximately 42 days after the first injection my body is expected to produce antibodies. However, the question of whether these antibodies can effectively destroy the virus has not yet received a definitive answer.
Russia
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