LONDON – The European workplace of the World Health Organization said it had started talks with Russia to verify and obtain more data on the coronavirus vaccine that Russia obtained last week before the vaccine passed the complex tests needed to prove its effectiveness.
Catherine Smallwood, WHO’s emergency official in Europe, said: “This fear we have about protection and efficacy relates in particular to the Russian vaccine, but all vaccines are in development. “
He said WHO is taking a “impulse approach” to drive the progression of coronavirus vaccines, but said that “it is imperative that we do not take shortcuts in terms of protection or efficacy. “
Smallwood said WHO had begun “direct discussions” with Russia and that WHO officials had shared “the steps and data that will be needed for WHO to conduct assessments. “