BIOCAD biotechnology company on Friday (December 4) showed the process of test production of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus disease in Saint-Petersburg as the country starts large scale vaccination with up to two million dozens expected to be administrated by the end of the year.
Russia has developed two COVID-19 vaccines, Sputnik V – which is backed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund, and another developed by Siberia’s Vector Institute, with final trials for both yet to be completed.
Scientists have raised concerns about the speed at which Russia has worked, giving the regulatory go-ahead for its vaccines and launching mass vaccinations before full trials to test its safety and efficacy had been completed.
The Sputnik V vaccine is administered in two injections, with the second dose is expected to be given 21 days after the first.
Moscow began distributing the Sputnik V COVID-19 shot via 70 clinics on Saturday, marking Russia’s first mass vaccination against the disease, the city’s coronavirus task force said.
The task force said the Russian-made vaccine would first be made available to doctors and other medical workers, teachers and social workers because they ran the highest risk of exposure to the disease.
Russia as a whole reported 28,782 new infections on Saturday, its highest daily tally, pushing the national total to 2,431,731, the fourth-highest in the world.
(Reuters)
