Russia is the first country in the world to approve a Covid-19 vaccine, says Putin

Must Read

Genocide is the only option in Balochistan – Pakistani Minister declares

A Pakistani minister in Balochistan, who is de-jure head of security apparatus in the region, has declared that genocide...

Aslam Baloch — The Baloch General – TBP Special report

For seventy years, through ups and downs, successes and failures, with rapid and slow pace, the Balochistan’s...

State’s deadly weapon, Shafiq Mengal – The Balochistan Post report

Strings of suicide bombing in Sindh's Shikarpur city and firing incident on BSO azad's rally in Khuzdar got connected...

The Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a virtual government meeting aired on the state television on Tuesday that his country is the first in the world to grant regulatory approval to the coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for mass production and deployment till the end of the year. He said that the vaccine has lived up to the criteria of efficacy and safety and that it has also been administered to one of his daughters. The officials say that they plan for mass vaccination in October.

The vaccine – “Sputnik-V” – was approved after only two months of human trials, a remarkably short period considering that efficacious and widely approved vaccines have taken no less than years for mass deployment in the past. This regulatory approval betokens the start of the third trial, known as Phase III, which will include thousands of participants. Putin hailed this achievement as the testimony of Moscow’s scientific prowess, but it has raised the alarms in the scientific community. Experts surmise that in its determination to outstrip other countries in producing an effective vaccine, Russia might be prioritizing its prestige over the safety of its citizens.

Immunologists and infectious disease experts argue that intent on topping the global race for a coronavirus vaccine, Russia is taking a “reckless” step in prematurely approving a vaccine, without large-scale clinical trials. Such exhaustive trials produce data by the truckload which helps in determining whether the vaccine works or not. Experts say that in the absence of peer-reviewed scientific papers, they cannot ascertain whether the vaccine is truly efficacious or not.

The World Health Organization echoed similar concerns, saying that it has not received enough information to evaluate the vaccine. Jarbas Barbosa, the head of WHO’s regional branch, the Pan American Health Organization. At least 100 vaccines are being developed around the world at a cost of roughly $10 billion, four of which are in the final phase, Phase III, of human trials, according to WHO data.

The vaccine – developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Institute – has been deemed as a “population-level experiment” by some, indicating that the scientific community is highly sceptical of Moscow’s announcement. In many cases, preliminary vaccine candidates can trigger potentially adverse effects that are not detected immediately but might take weeks or months to show up. Two months, in this scenario, is an alarmingly short period to approve mass vaccination. Russian president, however, seemed confident when he said: “I know that it works quite effectively, forms strong immunity, and I repeat, it has passed all the needed checks.”

SourceTBP

Latest News

Balochistan: Firing incidents kill 2 including a women

Two persons, including a woman, were killed and another injured in two separate incidents of firing in...

Another man commits suicide in Balgatar

A youth committed suicide in the Balgatar area of the Kech district of Balochistan on Friday. According to reports,...

Western Balochistan: 14 dead, 34 injured in two road accidents

In two different accidents in Western Balochistan on Tuesday night at least 14 people were killed and 34 other injured.

Tump residents protest prolonged electricity load-shedding

The residents of Tehsil Tump of the Kech district on Thursday carried out a rally to record their protest against the 18-hour-long...

Quetta: 3 persons from the Hazara community kidnapped

Three persons belonging to the Hazara community were kidnapped from the outskirts of Balochistan's capital city Quetta on Thursday.