Reality bites for Putin's much-hyped Covid-19 vaccine, as concerns over efficacy and safety linger

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Tue, 2020-10-27 10:49 — mike kraft

Reality bites for Putin's much-hyped Covid-19 vaccine, as concerns over efficacy and safety linger In August, Russian state media rolled out the red carpet for a bombshell announcement -- President Vladimir Putin, from his residence outside Moscow, unveiled what he said was the world's first registered coronavirus vaccine, meant to bring Russia closer to the end of a devastating pandemic. Mary Ilyushina and Frederik Pleitgen, CNN CNN

Moscow (CNN)In August, Russian state media rolled out the red carpet for a bombshell announcement -- President Vladimir Putin, from his residence outside Moscow, unveiled what he said was the world's first registered coronavirus vaccine, meant to bring Russia closer to the end of a devastating pandemic.

Putin, who is famously secretive about his family, said one of his daughters had already been inoculated as part of the early-stage trials and felt "well," to bulk up the vaccine's safety claims.

Now, as the second wave of Covid-19 hits the country -- with record numbers of new infections and deaths -- the vaccine, named Sputnik V, is far from being widely available to the general public.

Russia has passed a grim milestone of 1.5 million cases and at least 26,269 deaths, although experts have previously cast doubts on Russia's counting methods.

Russia approved the vaccine after trying it on several dozen subjects in a non-blind study and ahead of Phase 3 trials, which are key to establish its safety and efficacy, drawing skepticism from the international community and accusations it could have jumped the gun for political gains.

Alexander Gintsburg, head of the Gamaleya Institute which developed the vaccine, told CNN in an exclusive interview last week at Valdai Discussion Club, a Moscow-based think tank where Putin often makes an appearance, that 17,000 people took part in the Phase 3 trials but acknowledged that only 6,000 so far have received both doses necessary to complete the vaccination.

International virology experts cast doubt on Russia's claims of proven safety. "People who were immunized with this vaccine won't know whether they will be protected or develop a severe disease until they encounter the virus," Konstantin Chumakov, a top virologist with the Global Virus Network, told CNN in an interview....

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