Good Data for Sputnik Vaccine, But Putin Won’t Accept It – NRK Urix – Foreign News & Documentaries

Sputnik is the best in the world, according to a press release from the Gamaleya Institute, which has developed the vaccine. It is true that the figure is still based on preliminary data from the trial that is being carried out in the so-called phase three.

Previously, the Russians reported a good effect, but the latest report places Sputnik V (V for vaccine, not five) at the top of corona vaccines in the world.

The last time the Russians reported the effect of the vaccine, it was based on just 20 cases of infection among the subjects. Now that number has increased considerably. This means that the results are statistically stronger.

The new report claims that Sputnik is more than 95 percent effective in subjects, 42 days after the first dose of the vaccine.

Positive Vaccine Investigator

– There should be nothing wrong with this vaccine, says vaccine researcher Gunnveig Grødeland from the University of Oslo.

The technology used by the Russians is almost similar to that used by the “Western” companies Astrazenica and Johnson & Johnson.

The vaccine is a harmless virus that has been genetically modified. The change causes the cells of the vaccinated person to produce parts of the coronavirus. These parts are detected by the immune system. This allows the body to fight the actual coronavirus.

– Russians use two different viruses to administer the vaccine, and in this way they prevent the body’s immune system from stopping it. This is a rational strategy, says Grødeland.

I lost the message

Grødeland believes that it is in the public communication about the vaccine that Russia has failed.

– The politicization of vaccine development may be wrong. If Russia had let the researchers just present data and strategies from the experiment, I think many would see it differently than they do now, Grødeland says.

She believes that there has been a lot of “macho language” on the part of the Russians in relation to the vaccine, and that it is not credible.

Read also: Russia: – Mass vaccination begins in two weeks.

Fewer test subjects

These preliminary data are based on nearly 19,000 people who have received the first and second doses of the vaccine.

A quarter of them have received placebo, that is, syringes without vaccine.

In the past, Russian data has been criticized because a very small number of subjects have been infected.

Now this number has risen to 39, but it is still much lower than what the competitors have achieved in their phase three tests.

A total of 40,000 will participate in phase three, which will continue for several months in Russia.

Sputniks fordeler

The price of the Russian coronary vaccine will be $ 20. It’s just under 200 crowns for the two doses needed, say Russian authorities.

This makes Sputnik cheaper than Pfizer / Biontech’s German-American vaccine, which costs twice as much.

The Swedish-British Astra-Zeneca / Oxford vaccine, on the other hand, is much cheaper than Sputnik. Its price is around 60 crowns for two syringes. But this one has an efficiency of around 70 percent, that is, somewhat lower than the others.

From the Russian side, it is emphasized that Sputnik can be stored at normal refrigerator temperature, making it easy to transport.

The Russians are now also working to freeze-dry their vaccine into powder, which can make storage and transportation easier.

50 countries will be interested in purchasing the Sputnik vaccine. It is planned to be produced under license in countries such as India, China, Brazil and South Africa.

Putin look

Although more and more positive data on the Russian vaccine is now being presented, Russia’s top leader has yet to take it.

“Putin cannot take a vaccine that is not approved,” said President Dmitry Peskov. Several other prominent figures in Russian society have been vaccinated.

In August, it was the president himself who announced that the Russian authorities were the first in the world to register a coronary vaccine. Putin also said his daughter had taken him and that he was in good shape.

This fall, vulnerable groups such as health workers, teachers and the military have been urged to get vaccinated against Sputnik.

Resistance

Also within Russia, there is a discussion about whether it is correct to vaccinate so many before the tests in phase three have been completed.

A couple of weeks ago, the authorities announced that the mass vaccination would be launched in the capital Moscow in a short time. But it hasn’t started yet.

In Russia, more than 500 corona deaths were reported on Wednesday in the last 24 hours. There is more than ever.

A few days ago, the number of infected people exceeded 25,000 for the first time in a day.

However, the authorities will not implement comprehensive measures such as closing the company. The argument is that the economy will not tolerate it.

The leadership in Russia hopes Sputnik will reduce the infection.