MOSCOW: Russia has produced the first batch of its new vaccine for COVID-19, hours after the health ministry reported the start of manufacturing on Saturday (Aug 15).
President Vladimir Putin announcement on Tuesday that it had been first in the world to approve a vaccine was met with caution from scientists and the World Health Organization who said it still needed a rigorous safety review.
"The first batch of the novel coronavirus vaccine developed by the Gamaleya research institute has been produced," the health ministry said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies.
READ: Russia says medics to get COVID-19 vaccines in two weeks, rejects safety concerns
Russia has said the vaccine, the first for the coronavirus to go into production, will be rolled out by the end of this month.
Its approval comes before trials that would normally involve thousands of participants, commonly known as Phase III. Such trials are usually considered essential precursors for a vaccine to secure regulatory approval.
READ: Germany says Russian COVID-19 vaccine has not been sufficiently tested
The vaccine has been named "Sputnik V" in homage to the world's first satellite launched by the Soviet Union.
Putin has assured the public that it is safe, adding that one of his daughters had taken it as a volunteer and felt good afterwards.
Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, which developed the vaccine, said previously that Russia would be producing about 5 million doses a month by December-January.
The head of the institute, Alexander Gintsburg, told the TASS state news agency on Saturday that volunteers taking part in the final stage testing of the vaccine's safety and efficacy would have two inoculations.
Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said this week that the vaccine would first be made available to medics and would later be available to all Russians on a voluntary basis.
With 917,884 confirmed infections, Russia's coronavirus caseload is currently fourth in the world after the United States, Brazil and India. Its death toll is 15,617.
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiY2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vbmV3cy93b3JsZC9ydXNzaWEtcHJvZHVjZXMtZmlyc3QtYmF0Y2gtb2YtY292aWQtMTktdmFjY2luZS0xMzAyMzkyNNIBAA?oc=5
2020-08-15 12:45:00Z
52780985222448
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar