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The Russian vaccine was registered in August with a bang. And it was no coincidence that it was called Sputnik.
Russian authorities believe that the vaccine could be as important a breakthrough for Russia as the world’s first satellite was for the Soviet Union in 1957.
BIG NUMBER: Sputnik is now in phase three, where the vaccine is being tested on 40,000 volunteers.
Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr / AP
“For the first time in the world, a vaccine against the coronavirus has been registered,” President Vladimir Putin said last month.
He stressed that it works quite effectively, that a strong immunity is formed and that the vaccine has gone through all the necessary controls.
No problems detected
The vaccine has been tested in what is called phase one and two. It involves testing on animals and a small number of people.
Only recently did phase three begin, with 40,000 people to be tested.
“For me, it is a great honor and pleasure to have the vaccine as one of the first,” says Dmitry Bikbaev, one of the volunteer test subjects for Russian state television.
Russian media reports that no problems have been detected in the test persons. Nothing but a mild fever immediately after the first administration of the vaccine.
TWO-STEP ROCKET: The Sputnik vaccine consists of two syringes that are taken at three-week intervals. According to Russian researchers, the former activates immunity, while the latter strengthens it.
Photo: MAXIM SHEMETOV / Reuters
– I feel quite good, I have not had any symptoms, and I have nothing to complain about, says a young woman who does not want to give her name.
Other test subjects say they want to help science by participating, so that Russia can emerge from the crisis as quickly as possible.
Two steps
The Russian vaccine consists of two syringes that are inserted every few weeks.
– The patient receives the first injection after being examined. After 21 days, the person in question receives the second injection, says research leader Elizaveta Svortsova.
She explains that the production of antibodies begins after the first and the second amplifies the effect.
USING THE OPPORTUNITY: One of the doctors who has taken the Sputnik vaccine, tells Russian television that he will take advantage of the opportunity that exists, even if the vaccine has not been fully tested. She only gives her first name, Maria.
Photo: TATYANA MAKEYEVA / Reuters
Russian authorities have decided that people working in the health care system should get vaccinated now because they are particularly vulnerable. It occurs despite the fact that the last test in a large group of people has just begun.
– When there is a vaccine, it does not matter if it has not gone through all the tests. When such a possibility exists, it should not be ignored, says a doctor who only has her first name, Maria.
– Too early to use the vaccine
In Russia, there is now a fairly intense debate about the coronary vaccine. Some health workers and teachers say they don’t want to be guinea pigs. They will wait to get the vaccine until all the tests have been completed.
TOO FAST: Svetlana Zavidova is the deputy director of the Russian Organization for Clinical Research. She believes that it is Russian politicians who promote the use of the Sputnik vaccine and that more should have been tried.
Photo: Private
They are backed by a Russian expert.
– The decision to register the vaccine was based on political reasons and was not decided on scientific data, Svetlana Zavidova tells NRK.
She is the deputy director of the Russian Organization for Clinical Research.
Zavidova believes that the Russian authorities have gone too far in this matter and that the investigators have been outdone by the politicians. She emphasizes that it is too early to start mass vaccination in a couple of months, as the authorities plan.
– It is necessary to wait for the third phase to be completed. In any case, it is a minimum of six months, says Zavidova.
Sputnik becomes an export product
But Russian health authorities insist the Sputnik vaccine is now safe to use, pending the latest tests.
LARGE SCOPE: Since the turn of the year, the Russian authorities expect to produce 10 million doses of vaccines per month. There are also agreements on production in other countries.
Photo: Russian Fund for Direct Investment / Reuters
The vaccine is now being produced in various places in Russia, but authorities hope to sell rights and raw materials to many countries around the world. The interest must be great.
– We will offer vaccine production abroad. The work of exporting medical technology and products is already underway, says Health Minister Mikhail Murashko.
The number of new corona infections is steadily increasing in Russia, now exceeding 7,000 a day.
Many say no
Among Russians, there is considerable skepticism about coronary vaccination.
According to the daily Kommersant, opinion polls show that more than half of those surveyed in two polls say not to get vaccinated.
In the streets of Moscow it is difficult to find someone who wants to take the syringes.
NO: This man was not convinced that the Russian vaccine was effective.
Photo: Pavel Chukov / NRK
– I don’t trust the vaccine, I don’t think it helps, says a young woman.
– Of course not. We have bad vaccines. Better to get sick from the virus than risk chronic problems, says a young man.
Several others say they are not convinced the vaccine is effective. They prefer to focus on wearing masks and gloves. Of the eight people NRK asked, only one wanted to get vaccinated.
– I have faith in our vaccine, it is up to the task. Among those I know, there are many who have nothing against this vaccine. We are ready, said a middle-aged man.
