Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Tuesday that the country had become the first country in the world to approve the Covid-19 vaccine. Gamaleya Institute, Moscow, Russia has successfully manufactured the coronavirus vaccine after two months of human testing.
President Putin announced that the vaccine had confirmed the required checks and the country would start the process of mass vaccination in October.
According to Putin, the Covid-19 vaccine has provided ‘sustainable immunity’ against coronavirus. He said the vaccine had provided effective results and it has succeeded to provide the required checks. Moreover, Mr. Putin also said the vaccine was given to his daughter as well,
“I think in this sense, she took part in the experiment.”
The Russian scientists suggested that the early and phase-three trials of the vaccine gave successful results and have utilized the strains of adenovirus (a virus that causes the common cold) and triggers the immune response.
Mikhail Murashko, Russian Health Minister, also considers the covid-19 vaccine to ‘prove to be highly effective and safe,’ suggesting it is a considerable development in ‘humankind’s victory against Covid-19.’
However, independent scientists are not able to assess and analyze the data of coronavirus vaccine by Russia, because the Gamaleye Institute has not made the immunity and safety data available to the public.
Likewise, the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged the scientists in Russia to follow international guidelines to produce and approve the vaccine against Covid-19. The WHO is in contact with Russian authorities to review the procedures, data, and findings of the vaccine.
Currently, the vaccine against Covid-19 is not approved by the WHO, and neither is in the list of vaccines that completed the phase-three trials, involving mass testing in humans.
Although more than 100 vaccines are under the process of early development, and some are going through human clinical trials, experts believe the coronavirus vaccine might not become available globally till mid-2021.
