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A vaccine against COVID-19 developed and tested in Russia generated neutralizing antibodies that caused only minor side effects. This is what reveals a study published on Friday, September 4 in the medical journal The lancet.
Russia is the first nation to approve the COVID-19 vaccine
The international scientific community had harshly criticized Russia, the first nation to approve a coronavirus vaccine, even before testing is complete. Vladimir Putin’s announcement came before the start of the third test phase.
However, the first two stages of vaccine research, called Sputnik Vhave given good results. All 76 participants, in fact, developed antibodies against the coronavirus. The antibody levels were similar to the immune responses of those who had recovered naturally from COVID-19, The Lancet noted.
The vaccine developed by Russia uses adenovirus. These “cold” viruses, called Ad5 and Ad26, become harmless and cannot grow in the human body. Its sole function is to carry a protein from the new coronavirus into the body, to stimulate the body to produce antibodies, hopefully for many years to come.
The technique used by the Russians is the same as the vaccine Oxford University and of Johnson and Johnson.
According to The Lancet, safety levels are good, even at high doses of the vaccine, at least for healthy people between the ages of 18 and 60. Has occurred some side effects: Half of the participants had a fever, 42% had headaches, 28% had weakness, and 24% had joint pain. The article did not say how long the side effects lasted, but said that “more serious events were rare.”
How effective is the Russian vaccine?
However, the question remains: how effective is the Russian vaccine?
Compared to other vaccines, TheConversation.com noted, Sputnik V generated lower levels of antibodies and T cells – another important element in vaccines – compared to other preparations.
There are two possible interpretations: either the Russian vaccine does not provide effective neutralization of the virus or the immunization measurement methods have not been optimal.
In the absence of international references, at this point it is not yet possible to say whether Sputnik V is a more or less effective vaccine than others.
