Sputnik Vaccine Skeptical Russian Medical Association – NRK Urix – Foreign News & Documentaries

– I will never advise my colleagues to take such a vaccine, because this preparation has not undergone clinical testing and has no scientific approval, Anastasia Vasiljeva tells NRK.

He runs the Alliance of Physicians, a small but independent union of physicians and other health professionals.

Russian authorities say mass vaccination with Sputnik will begin in the Russian capital in a week or two. It will appear to be the world’s first large-scale coronavirus vaccination.

In Moscow, vaccination sites are now being established around the city. It is intended that people can go through and receive the Sputnik vaccine injections. They should be established at three week intervals.

– We are preparing so that the vaccine is used on a large scale, and that we can vaccinate all Muscovites who want it, says Moscow Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova.

Many say no

The capital has long been the worst hit in Russia. Recently, the number of new infections has been around 6,000 per day. Nationally, the figure is about 22,000, in the last week new records have been set.

But even if the infection increases, skepticism of the Russian vaccine is quite high. The latest Levada Center poll shows that up to 60 percent of those surveyed would say no to taking it. On the streets of Moscow, it is difficult to find someone positive about Sputnik.

– No, of course, I’m very scared. I don’t know what kind of vaccine they give me, I don’t trust anyone, a young woman tells NRK.

Several others also emphasize that they do not trust a vaccine produced in Russia. They believe that Sputnik is not sufficiently tested before use. Only one person we know says they want to get vaccinated.

– If it comes, I’ll take it for granted, the risk will be less, says the young man.

Much prestige

The US pharmaceutical company Pfizer was the first to publish preliminary data from phase three, where tens of thousands of people test whether the vaccine is safe and effective. The company said for the first time that its vaccine was more than 90 percent effective.

It was only a few days before the Russian authorities could say that Sputnik is even more effective, that is, 92 percent.

On Wednesday, Pfizer also announced that the coronary vaccine the company has developed is 95 percent effective in the final testing phase.

The Russian authorities were the first in the world to register a coronary vaccine, it already happened in August.

For the country’s leadership, it is clearly important to show the outside world what Russian science is capable of.

– In Russia, we have already registered two vaccinations. There are no serious side effects when used. And soon we will register the third vaccine, says President Vladimir Putin.

The Medical Alliance believes that there has been too much political game around the development of Russian vaccines.

– Of course, this is politics. These are political ambitions, says union leader Vasiljeva.

She believes that the authorities should present the actual results of the tests and the investigation.

A small number of cases

A press release from the Gamaleja Institute states that the efficacy of the Sputnik vaccine is calculated on the basis of 20 cases of disease among 16,000 subjects who had received the vaccine or a placebo, that is, a syringe without active ingredient.

Some researchers believe this number is too low to say anything clear about how good the vaccine is.

Pfeizer waited to calculate the effectiveness until they had 94 cases. Other manufacturers wait until they have 50 boxes, Science writes.

Some researchers point out that the little data presented on Sputnik, in any case, points in a positive direction.

The BBC writes that there are many questions that need to be answered for both vaccines.

Among other things, how well they protect the elderly and how long the protection against infection lasts.

No drastic measures

Russian authorities expect the Sputnik vaccine to reduce the number of infections, which now stands at around 22,000 new infections per day across the country. The death toll is also higher now than ever.

In Moscow, exhibition halls and sports stadiums are now being converted into temporary hospitals for coronary heart disease. Capacity is beginning to explode in regular hospitals.

But the opportunities to treat patients with coronary heart disease are much better in the capital than in many places in the Russian regions. There are emergency calls from local leaders and players. In various places, the Russian army has sent field hospitals and medical personnel.

However, the Russian authorities will not close the partnership as they did this spring.

The reason is that the economy will not tolerate such drastic measures.