Russia is set to roll out the world’s first approved coronavirus vaccine amid skepticism over its effectiveness and safety after less than two months of human testing.
President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country to grant regulatory approval for a COVID-19 vaccine, which showed “stable immunity” against the new coronavirus and “passed all necessary checks”.
The fax, named “Sputnik V” in honor of the world’s first satellite launched by the Soviet Union, has not yet completed its Phase Three trial, which includes large-scale tests involving thousands of participants.
Worldwide, more than 200 vaccine candidates are being developed and researched, with at least 24 in the human clinical trial phase, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Here is what we know so far about Russia’s vaccine:
What is Sputnik V?
The “Sputnik V” is a vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute in coordination with the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is based on a proven vaccine against adenovirus – the common cold.
The vaccine is expected to provide up to two years of immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to the Russian Ministry of Health. But the results of the limited trials have yet to be made public.
The vaccine is administered in two doses and consists of two serotypes of human adenovirus, each carrying an S-antigen of the new coronavirus, which enter human cells and produce an immune response.
It is a so-called viral vector vaccine, which means that it uses another virus to carry the DNA encoding the necessary immune response in cells.
The platform used for the vaccine was developed by Russian scientists for over 20 years and has in the past formed the basis for several vaccines, including those against Ebola.
Gamaleya’s vaccine is based on technology similar to the coronavirus vaccine prototype developed by CanSino, a Chinese vaccinating company.
Public Health Minister Mikhail Murashko has said clinical trials with thousands of participants would follow.
The first batch of the vaccine will be made available to medical staff in the next two weeks, he said on Wednesday.
The vaccine could be available for mass use in October, according to the country’s health ministry.
What is the reaction of the world?
While many experts and governments have expressed concern that Russia is racing to be the first to approve a vaccine and compromise security, some countries have shown interest in Sputnik V.
The WHO said on Wednesday that it was looking forward to the clinical trials.
Scientists in Russia and elsewhere have questioned the speed of development and the lack of transparency, saying the vaccine will be offered to the public before the important test can pose serious problems at the last stage.
“We have no idea that the claims made about the safety and immune response of this virus are true or not,” Peter Drobac, an infectious disease medicine doctor at Oxford University, told Al Jazeera.
He said the “geopolitics – being able to claim victory – could put pressure on other countries to cut corners on security and efficiency. That could jeopardize everything”.
Meanwhile, the Philippines plans to begin testing the vaccine in October, with President Rodrigo Duterte expected to impulse as soon as May next year, the president said on Thursday.
A Brazilian technology institute said on Wednesday that it expects to produce the controversial vaccine by the second half of 2021, shortly after the state of Parana signed a memorandum of understanding with Moscow.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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