Sputnik V: the new COVID-19 vaccine from Russia! Experts skeptical of it but Russian scientists call their doubts baseless!
Russian President Vladimir Putin states that his country has already developed a vaccine against the deadly coronavirus, Sputnik V. The vaccine has been licensed and one of his daughters has already got the vaccine. Claims are that it is effective with a lasting immunity against the coronavirus. But scientists worldwide are skeptical about the vaccine safety. But now Russia has called these international concerns as baseless.
Russia’s new licensed coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V
Russian President, Vladimir Putin revealed that his country is already ready with a vaccine against the coronavirus, Sputnik V. It has passed all the required tests and will roll out in two weeks time. He also disclosed that one of his daughters has received the vaccine and it is effective with long-lasting immunity. She was part of the experiment and had volunteered for the vaccine. The regulatory body gave the approval to the vaccine after just two months of human trials, Reuters states.
Skepticism about the vaccine
Globally, scientists are concerned about the efficacy and safety of this new coronavirus vaccine from Russia. Researchers from Germany, France, Spain and the US have advised caution. Jens Spahn, Germany’s health minister dubbed it as a dangerous decision. And Alex Azar, Health Minister of the US said:
“It is not a race to be first.”
Russian label the criticism as baseless
But Russian authorities have stated that the criticism of Sputnik V is completely groundless. Russia’s Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said:
“It seems our foreign colleagues are sensing the specific competitive advantages of the Russian drug and are trying to express opinions that… are absolutely groundless,”
But WHO wants to have a review of the vaccine. Though there is a scientific basis for the doubts on the vaccine, it is also true that Moscow’s Gamalaya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology has been working on adenovirus since 1980s and has a long experience in this field.
The doubts could also be due to geopolitics since Russia of later has lost the trust of the world. This happened because of its alleged involvement in the USA elections, the assassination attempt on double agent Sergei Skripal and the downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. But with a depressing outlook of the pandemic, we can only hope that this vaccine works and is able to save lives.
Also, read COVID-19: What are the options against the virus besides the development of a vaccine?