On Tuesday, Russia became the first country to officially register a #coronavirus vaccine and declared it ready for use.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that one of his daughters has already been inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine.
The move comes despite many scientists in Russia and abroad questioning the decision to make the vaccine available for use before Phase 3 trials, which normally last for months and involve thousands of people.
During a government meeting on Tuesday, Putin emphasized that the vaccine underwent the necessary tests and has proven efficient, offering a lasting immunity from the coronavirus.
“I would like to repeat that it has passed all the necessary tests,” he said. “The most important thing is to ensure the full safety of using the vaccine and its efficiency.”
Putin said that his daughter had a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius on the day of the first vaccine injection, and then it dropped to just over 37C on the following day.
After the second shot, she again had a slight increase in temperature.
"She's feeling well and has a high number of antibodies,” Putin added.
He didn’t specify which of his two daughters Maria or Katerina received the vaccine.
The Health Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the vaccine is expected to provide immunity from the coronavirus for up to two years.
Russian authorities have said that medical workers, teachers and other risk groups will be the first to be inoculated.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova says the vaccination of doctors could start as early as this month.
Large-scale production of the vaccine will start in September, and mass vaccination may begin as early as October, officials said.
When the pandemic struck Russia, Putin ordered state officials to shorten the time of clinical trials for potential coronavirus vaccines.
Human studies started on June 17 among 76 volunteers. Half were injected with a vaccine in liquid form and the other half with a vaccine that came as soluble powder.
Some in the first half were recruited from the military, which raised concerns that servicemen may have been pressured to participate.
Amid #Russia's rush to become the first to create a vaccine, the US, Britain and Canada last month accused Russia of using hackers to steal vaccine research from Western labs.
The World Health Organization, however, said all vaccine candidates should go through full stages of testing before being rolled out.
Experts have warned that vaccines that are not properly tested can cause harm in many ways from a negative impact on health to creating a false sense of security or undermining trust in vaccinations.
Russia has registered 897,599 #coronavirus cases, including 15,131 deaths.
It becoming the first country in the world to develop a vaccine was a matter of national prestige for the Kremlin as it tries to assert the image of Russia as a global power.
Comments