Putin Says Russia Has Developed First Covid-19 Vaccine For Use

'Dotun Akintomide
Writer

Ad

Global CEOs, Top Diplomats, Ministers, Governors, Industry leaders gather in New York to unlock the Gulf of Guinea’s over $800 billion Energy, Oil & Gas, Minerals, Maritime Opportunities

By Abiola Olawale Following the official opening of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80), New York, USA, high-level delegations from over a dozen countries, including global CEOs, top diplomats, ministers, governors, industry leaders will gather in New York to unlock the Gulf of Guinea’s over $800 billion Energy, Oil & Gas,…

Charted: Populations of China, India, U.S., and Europe (1950–2100)

Key Takeaways India is projected to remain the world’s most populous country through 2100, stabilizing around 1.5 billion people. China’s population is expected to fall by more than half, from 1.4 billion to 0.6 billion. Europe’s population will decline steadily, while the U.S. population grows gradually to 420 million. As global demographics continue to shift,…

Elon Musk drops to second place as AI boom powers Oracle’s Larry Ellison to world’s richest status

By Obinna Uballa Elon Musk has lost his long-held crown as the world’s richest person to Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, following a record-breaking surge in Ellison’s net worth. According to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index, Ellison’s fortune jumped by an unprecedented $101 billion on Tuesday night to reach $393 billion, surpassing Musk’s $385 billion. The windfall came…

Ad

Russia has announced the world’s first vaccine for COVID-19 amid concerns it may not have fully tested its product.

Announcing regulatory approval for a test vaccine produced by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute after shortened trials, Vladimir Putin claimed testing had demonstrated the product was safe, worked effectively and formed long-term immunity.

“One of my daughters did the inoculation herself,” he said before a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning. “After the first injection, her temperature went up to 38, but by the next day it was just a little over 37.”new vaccine

Read also: COVID-19: WHO Knocks French Doctors Suggesting Vaccine Trial in Africa

According to Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, Russia plans to begin inoculating medical staff in August, with mass vaccination starting early next year. Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said a course of two injections would provide immunity for up to two years.

Russia has embraced the race to approve the world’s first vaccine, with Kirill Dmitriev, head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund, likening the search to the Soviet launch of the world’s first satellite in 1957.

Russia is one of two dozen countries involved in vaccine trials. In July, the United Kingdom accused Russia of hacking data from advanced trials at the University of Oxford — to the consternation of Moscow.

The Russian vaccine uses adapted strains of the adenovirus, a virus that usually causes the common cold, but researchers have failed to produce evidence of its safety or efficacy. Testing was carried out on soldiers and medical students, with regulatory approval arriving several months ahead of the scheduled completion of trials.

That speed and lack of transparency has fuelled concerns that geopolitics may have been prioritised at the expense of science.

Mikhail Favorov, an epidemiologist at the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention who sat on the board of the Gamaleya Institute between 1989-90 has suggested his former colleagues may be guilty of cutting corners to deliver the goods. Writing in a social media post, he revealed he asked for data about the adenovirus vaccine without success.

Read also: Coronavirus: The World Has Been Deceived, Oyedepo Backs Dr. Immanuel

“I hope with my whole heart that the vaccine will be protective and safe,” he said. “We’ll know soon enough if the vaccinated don’t get ill with Covid-19, which will be great. If they do get ill, we’ll know it doesn’t work, which is bad. But if people start dying at a proportion of one in hundred or a thousand, then it will be especially bad, and for [the developers] who will face prison.”

At a congressional hearing last month, Anthony Fauci, the man leading the US coronavirus response effort also warned about the dangers of an under-tested vaccine.

“I do hope that the Chinese and the Russians are actually testing the vaccine before they are administering the vaccine to anyone,” he said.

“Claims of having a vaccine ready to distribute before you do testing is problematic in the very least.”

(www.newsnow.co.uk)

Ad

Unlocking Opportunities in the Gulf of Guinea during UNGA80
X whatsapp