First Batch Of Russian Vaccines To Be Given To Medical Personnel, To Avoid Doubts?

Russian-made vaccine (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The Russian side said medical workers would be given the first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine. They appear to be trying to dismiss the notion of a safety problem that has been warned by some experts because the Russian president was so quick to approve the mass production of the vaccine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia had become the first country to give regulatory approval for a vaccine for COVID-19. The approval was given after less than two months of testing the vaccine in humans.

However, the vaccine has not actually completed its final trials. Only about 10% of clinical trials are successful and some scientists fear the Russian government may prioritize national prestige over safety.

"It seems our foreign colleagues are feeling the specific competitive advantage of the Russian vaccine. While they are trying to try to express an opinion which we think is completely baseless," said Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko.

Murashko said that the vaccine was developed by the Moscow Gamaleya Institute. The vaccine will be given to people, including doctors, on a voluntary basis, and it will be ready soon. "The first package of medical vaccines against corona virus infection will be received in the next two weeks, especially for doctors," he said.

Chase a deposit?

Developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute, the vaccine is named Sputnik-V. The name refers to the Soviet Union's 1957 launch of the world's first satellite. The vaccine has not yet gone through a third phase of trials in which trials were given to thousands of people.

Putin's claim of victory in the global push to create an effective vaccine against COVID-19 comes amid rumors that Russia has cut corners in vaccine development. Critics say the country's push to launch a vaccine is due to political pressure from the Kremlin, which wants to portray Russia as a global scientific power.

Russia has yet to release scientific data on the test. However, Russian officials say that at least 20 countries and several US companies have expressed interest in the vaccine.

Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which funds vaccine research, said other countries' interest in more than one billion doses of vaccine had been received. "We have seen considerable interest in the Russian vaccine being developed by the Gamaleya Institute abroad. In addition, we have received initial applications for more than 1 billion doses of vaccine from 20 countries," he said.

"Together with foreign partners, we are ready to produce more than 500 million doses of vaccine per year in five countries, and we plan to increase our production capacity even higher. So far, countries in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia have shown the greatest interest in vaccines, and we will complete a number of contracts for vaccine purchases, "he concluded.