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MOSCOW – Russia announced Wednesday that it had registered what it said was the world’s first coronavirus vaccine for animals, describing the step as important in stopping mutations of the virus.
He said mass production of the vaccine could begin in April.
The Rosselkhoznadzor agricultural oversight agency said in a statement that the vaccine called Carnivak-Cov had been tested since October on dogs, cats, mink, foxes and other animals and proved effective.
“All the test animals that were vaccinated developed antibodies against the coronavirus in 100 percent of the cases,” said Konstantin Savenkov, deputy director of Rosselkhoznadzor.
“It is the first and only product in the world to prevent COVID-19 in animals.”
Rosselkhoznadzor said developing his injection would help prevent mutations in animals and cited Denmark’s decision to euthanize 15 million minks last year after some were found to carry a variant of the mutated virus.
“The use of the vaccine, according to Russian scientists, can prevent the development of virus mutations,” the statement said.
The agency added that animal husbandry facilities and private companies in countries such as Greece, Poland, Austria, the United States, Canada and Singapore had expressed interest in Carnivak-Cov.
Military officials in Russia’s second city, St. Petersburg, announced this week that army dogs would undergo mandatory vaccination before being deployed to airports and participating in World War II commemorations across the country in May.
‘Decent vaccine’
Veterinarians and fur breeders said Wednesday they did not see an immediate need to vaccinate the animals.
A veterinary clinic in Moscow said it was investigating the information, but currently sees no reason to vaccinate cats and dogs.
“They have not been proven to be carriers of COVID-19,” the clinic said in a statement to AFP.
Russian fur breeders have so far not found any cases of coronavirus in animals and do not plan to vaccinate them, said the director of the National Association of Fur Breeders, Nadezhda Zubkova.
But some of the animals have been vaccinated during the trials and “feel fine,” Zubkova told AFP.
“It’s a decent vaccine,” said Zubkova, whose association comprises farms with around 2 million animals, including minks and foxes.
Russia has heavily promoted its state-sponsored coronavirus vaccine abroad, but it has been met with skepticism in the West and even by many in Russia.
Officials registered the Sputnik V vaccine last August, ahead of large-scale clinical trials, raising concern among many experts about the fast-track process. Since then he has registered two more vaccinations.
Leading medical journal The Lancet confirmed in February that Sputnik V is safe and more than 90 percent effective.
Moscow has submitted a request to the European drug regulator for approval for the use of Sputnik V in the 27-nation bloc, but is still awaiting a response.
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