Russia has announced that mass vaccinations are scheduled for early October, making it the first country to approve and distribute a coronavirus vaccine, but scientists warn against the move.
The head of Russia’s direct investment fund, Kirill Dmitriev, who is sponsoring the development of a vaccine through Gamaleya Research Institute, says a vaccination can be approved in just days before scientists have completed a three-phase study.
“I am concerned that Russia is cutting corners so that the vaccine that will come out can be not only ineffective but also unsafe,” a global public health expert at the University of Georgetown, Lawrence Gostin, told the Associated Press Friday. ‘It does not work that way. … Trials come first. That’s really important. ”
RUSSIA PLANS MASS OF OCTOBER HOLIDAYS, DOCTORS AND TAKERS WANT TO BOOK FIRST, HEALTH OFFICIALS
Russian Public Health Minister Mikhail Murashko announced that people considered part of the “risk group”, such as health care workers, could be offered the vaccine so soon this month.
Murashko did not explain whether the health care workers receiving the vaccination would be part of the Phase Three study.
U.S. Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has warned against rushing to find a vaccine without taking the necessary precautions and studies.
“I hope the Chinese and Russians actually test a vaccine before administering the vaccine to anyone, because claims of a vaccine have to be spread before testing, which I find at least problematic,” Fauci said last week.
The US has accused both Russia and China of attempting espionage and theft in the development of a coronavirus vaccine.
RUSSIAN HACKERS BEHIND CYBERATTACKS ON CORONAVIRUS VACCINE DEVELOPERS: US, UK, CANADA INTEL
The U.S. Department of Justice accused two Chinese nationals in late July of collaborating with the Chinese intelligence agency, the Department of State Security (MSS), after they were caught hacking U.S. and international databases with information on fax development.
One of the companies targeted by the hackers was Moderna, which received half a billion in funding from the US government for the development of a vaccine. They are expected to launch a 30,000-person clinical trial this month
China has denied all allegations.
“Recently, so-called US government sources have accused China of hacking to steal technology and data from US fax investigations, but there has been no evidence of that,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin. , last week.
Britain, Canada and the US have also accused the Russian Kremlin of using hackers to break into databases to steal intelligence over COVID-19 faxes.
‘It is totally unacceptable that the Russian Intelligence Services are targeting those who are working to combat the coronavirus pandemic,’ ‘UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement issued by the British National Cyber Security Center advising on recent Russian hacking.
“While others pursue their selfish interests with reckless behavior, the UK and its allies are working hard to find a vaccine and protect global health,” he added.
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Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova has promised to start “industrial production” of a vaccine by September, allowing massive vaccinations until October.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
