MOSCOW (AP) – Russia on Tuesday became the first country in a coronavirus vaccine and claims it is in a position to be used, despite foreign skepticism. President Vladimir Putin said one of his daughters had already been vaccinated.
Putin under pressure that the vaccine had undergone mandatory testing and had proven effective, offering lasting immunity against coronavirus. However, national and foreign scientists have sounded the alarm that the rush to start the vaccine before phase 3 trials, which usually last months and involve thousands of people, can be counterproductive.
Speaking at a government assembly on Tuesday, Putin said the vaccine had undergone proper testing and was safe.
“I know it has proven effective and bureaucracy with solid immunity, and I would like to reiterate that it has passed all the mandatory tests,” he said. “We will have to be grateful to those who took this vital first step for our country and the world.”
The Russian leader added that one of his two daughters had won two injections of the vaccine. “She participated in the experiment,” Putin said.
Putin said his daughter had a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) the day of the first injection of the vaccine, and then dropped to just over 37 degrees (98.6 Fahrenheit) the next day. After the time of the shooting, his back had a slight temperature increase, but it was all over.
“He feels smart and has a lot of antibodies,” Putin added. He specified which of his two daughters, Maria or Katerina, had won the vaccine.
The Health Ministry said Tuesday that the vaccine deserves to provide coronavirus immunity for up to two years.
Putin that vaccination will be voluntary,
The Russian government said medical staff, teachers and other at-risk equipment would be the first to be vaccinated. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said vaccination from doctors could begin as soon as this month.
Professor Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya Institute who developed the vaccine, said vaccination will begin as Phase 3 trials continue. According to the Interfax news agency, there will first be only enough doses to carry out vaccination in 10 to 15 of Russia’s 85 regions.
Russian officials said large-scale production of the vaccine would begin in September and mass vaccination could begin as early as October.
Russia recorded 897599 cases of coronavirus, 15131 deaths.
When the pandemic hit Russia, Putin ordered state officials to shorten the duration of clinical trials for coronavirus vaccines.
Becoming the first country in the world to expand a vaccine is a matter of national prestige for the Kremlin, as it seeks to assert Russia’s symbol as a world power. State television and other media have praised the scientists who paint there and have presented the paintings as the envy of other nations.
Gintsburg raised his eyebrows in May when he said he and the researchers had tried the vaccine themselves.
Human studies began on June 17 with 76 volunteers. Half is injected with one vaccine in liquid form and the other part with a vaccine in the form of a soluble powder. Some in the early part of the year were recruited into the army, which raised fears that the army might have felt stressed to participate.
As Russia rushes the first to create a vaccine, the United States, Britain, and Canada last month accused Russia of using hackers to borrow vaccine studies from Western laboratories.
When the trials were declared complete, doubts arose about the protection and efficacy of the vaccine. Some experts scoffed at the Russian authorities’ assurances that the drug vaccine produced the desired immune reaction and caused significant side effects, and emphasized that such claims should be supported by published clinical data.
The World Health Organization has said that all vaccine applicants deserve to go through full stages of testing before being deployed. Experts have warned that vaccines that are unproven can cause harm in many tactics, from a negative aptitude that has an effect to creating a false sense of safety or loss of confidence in vaccines.