Russia raised eyebrows on Tuesday when it announced the world’s first approved coronavirus vaccine for public use.
President Vladimir Putin says his own daughter has already received it, but tests are yet to be completed and experts are skeptical about how quickly the vaccine is registered.
Here is a summary of what we know so far – and do not know.
Is the Russian vaccine safe and effective?
The short answer is that we do not know. Russia has not released scientific data on its fax test and CNN is unable to verify claims about its security or effectiveness. But Russia says the vaccine was passed through Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials, which were completed on August 1.
A Phase 3 trial on more than 2,000 people just started today. Typically, Phase 3 trials are performed on tens of thousands of people.
We have no information on whether this is safe, “Keith Neal, Professor Emeritus of the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, University of Nottingham, told CNN.
How did Russia pull this off so quickly?
In April, Russia enacted a law eliminating the need for a Phase 3 vaccine test before approving it.
Approval now means that the vaccine for coronavirus can be spread even when Phase 3 tests are underway – although in practice it is expected that mass-produced doses will not be ready for weeks.
“They are not as far ahead as other faxes,” Neal said, noting that the Moderna and Oxford faxes have already begun Phase 3 testing. Critics say Russia’s urgency is due in part to political pressure from the Kremlin, which likes to portray the country as a global scientific force.
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