WHO: Russia's COVID-19 Vaccine Not Among The Nine In Advanced Test Stages

Russia on Tuesday announced it had become the first country to grant regulatory approval to a coronavirus vaccine. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the first dose of the vaccine Sputnik-V developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Healthcare Ministry was given to one of Putin's daughter.

The World Health Organisation said that the vaccine approved by Russia is not among the nine that it considers in the advanced stages of testing. Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to WHO's director-general said that, “We don't have sufficient information at this point to make a judgment" on the Russian vaccine." He further added that, “We're currently in conversation with Russia to get additional information to understand the status of that product, the trials that have been undertaken, and then what the next steps might be."

According to the reports, Russia plans to perform Phase 3 clinical trials in various countries, including India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Brazil, and the Philippines. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) also announced that it plans to begin mass production in other countries in collaboration with local sovereign wealth funds, including India, Brazil, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Cuba.

Earlier, Putin said, "After the first vaccination, she had a body temperature of 38 degrees Celsius, while the following day it was slightly over 37 degrees Celsius, that's it. After the second injection, the second vaccination, her temperature also rose a little, and then everything cleared up, she feels good and the (antibody) titers are high. It works quite effectively and forms a stable immunity."