President Putin Guarantees Sputnik V Can Fight Omicron Variant, Argentine Scientist: US And EU Rejection Mistakes

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin has guaranteed that Russia's Sputnik V vaccine will be able to ward off the new coronavirus, the Omicron variant, to a very high level.

"I spoke with the Director of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Alexander Gintsburg. They did the research, and the Sputnik V vaccine neutralized the new Omicron strain," he said, quoted TASS December 28.

"He told me the clinic [research] will give the final answer to the question of how high the level of counterattack is," President Putin continued at an informal meeting between the leaders of the CIS countries.

He added that Gintsburg spoke to him literally two days ago. "They did this study but now clinical research is ahead, to see to what extent (Sputnik is fighting the virus). But he said what we did at the center gave us the confidence to make sure (the vaccine) neutralized it."

President Putin added that Sputnik V (provides) about 90 percent protection.

Separately, Argentine epidemiologist Gabriela Piovano thinks the United States and the European Union (EU) made a mistake, abandoning a potent coronavirus vaccine by rejecting Russia's Sputnik V.

"Without Sputnik V, the US and Europe would be stripping their citizens of an excellent vaccine," said infectious disease hospital specialist Dr. Francisco Javier Muniz, one of Argentina's leading medical institutions, according to the Perfil newspaper.

Piovano added that Pfizer's vaccine could be considered the worst because of its transport and storage requirements. He also considered the proposed booster dose to be given three months after the second dose to be unfavorable.