Coronavirus: Russia set for mass vaccination campaign - but why is WHO urging caution?
Moscow says mass production of the drug will begin next month following completion of clinical trials
International health experts are calling for caution as Russia prepares to launch a mass vaccination campaign to combat Covid-19.
Health Minister Mikhail Murashko announced this week that the Gamaleya Institute, a state-run research facility in Moscow, had completed clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine and is on course to secure regulatory approval. “We plan wider vaccinations for October,” Murashko said, adding that doctors and teachers would be the first to be immunised.
But many scientists are concerned about what the BBC describes as Russia’s “fast-track approach”, with the World Health Organization (WHO) stressing that a blanket cure for coronavirus is extremely unlikely at this stage. So what exactly has Russia devised and why are experts sceptical?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What exactly is Russia saying?
The Russian government “claims to have stolen a march on dozens of global rivals – including the US and UK – in the race to produce a viable coronavirus vaccine”, says The Guardian.
Following reports last month that Kremlin-linked figures had been given access to an early coronavirus vaccine, officials now claim that the drug trialled by the Gamaleya Institute “is about to pass state registration”, The Moscow Times reports.
“We are very much counting on starting mass production in September,” Industry Minister Denis Manturov told Russian news agency Tass.
How would the vaccine work?
The Gamaleya drug is a so-called “viral vector vaccine, meaning it employs another virus to carry the DNA encoding the needed immune response into cells”, The Moscow Times explains.
The adenovirus-based vaccine works by administering a gene from Sars-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19, into the body. Cells then “read it and make coronavirus spike proteins, with the idea being to trick the body into believing it has already been infected”, The Irish Post reports.
“These self-made spike proteins then theoretically train the body to detect and terminate any real Sars-CoV-2 infections before the virus takes hold.”
Why is the WHO concerned?
The “speed at which Russia is progressing through trials has caused concern that the country may be putting prestige ahead of public safety”, says Metro, which reports that state television “has in recent months promoted the idea that Russia is ‘winning’ the vaccination race”.
According to the WHO, at least four vaccines are in phase three of human trials - the final stage before submitting for approval. Three of the drugs on this short list were developed in China, and the other in the UK.
With a question mark remaining over Russia’s vaccine, Dr Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease expert in the US, has voiced concerns about whether Russia was “actually testing” its own formulation properly before rolling out the drug.
“I do not believe that there will be vaccines so far ahead of us that we will have to depend on other countries to get us vaccines,” Fauci told US lawmakers last week.
Meanwhile, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is maintaining a cautious tone.
“A number of vaccines are now in phase three clinical trials and we all hope to have a number of effective vaccines that can help prevent people from infection,” he said during a briefing on Monday at the UN health agency’s headquarters in Geneva.
”However, there’s no silver bullet at the moment - and there might never be.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'The House under GOP rule has become a hostile workplace'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'A wonky bureaucratic tweak has dramatically changed how Americans drive'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why your local council may be going bust
The Explainer Across England, local councils are suffering from grave financial problems
By The Week UK Published
-
Rishi Sunak and the right-wing press: heading for divorce?
Talking Point The Telegraph launches 'assault' on PM just as many Tory MPs are contemplating losing their seats
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
'Making Russia pay for its aggression with its own assets has undeniable moral and practical appeal'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published