Russia announces world's first Covid-19 vaccine, Putin's daughter gets first shot: 'I know that it works'
Russian strongman Vladimir Putin has announced that a coronavirus vaccine has been registered and approved for use in the country, adding that one of his daughters has already been inoculated. Putin said at a Tuesday press meeting that the vaccine was a "world-first", albeit questions over its safety and effectiveness remain pending peer reviews. "A vaccine against coronavirus has been registered for the first time in the world this morning," the Russian president said on state TV. "I know that it works quite effectively, it forms a stable immunity."
"I hope our foreign colleagues' work will move as well, and a lot of products will appear on an international market that could be used," he added.
Named Sputnik-V, after the surprise 1957 launch of the world's first satellite by the Soviet Union, the vaccine was developed by the Moscow based Gamaleya Institute and the Russian Direct Investment Fund. That said, the treatment is reportedly yet to undergo Phase 3 trials which could see thousands of people vaccinated.
Putin flaunted that one of his daughters had already administered the drug. According to him, she had a slightly higher temperature following every dose of the drug. "Now she feels well," he added.
According to CNN, Putin's claim of Russia developing the world's first effective vaccine against COVID-19 "comes amid suggestions that Russia has cut essential corners in its development." "Critics say the country's push for a vaccine is partly due to political pressure from the Kremlin, which is keen to portray Russia as a global scientific force," per the outlet.
While Russia has not released scientific data on its testing, officials told CNN that at least 20 countries, as well as some US companies, have inquired about the vaccine.
At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said medics could begin receiving the vaccine by as early as the end of the month.
It's important to note that Russia is one of several countries working to produce a viable COVID-19 vaccine, which has infected over 20 million people and claimed more than 730,000 lives across the globe.
In June, China approved the use of an experimental coronavirus vaccine for its military. Known as Ad5-nCoV, the vaccine was developed by a joint effort from the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology -- which is part of the Chinese government's Academy of Military Medical Sciences -- and vaccine company CanSino Biologics.
Earlier this month, it was alleged that Russian spies hacked into American, British, and Canadian research labs to steal crucial vaccine development information. However, the Kremlin has strongly denied said allegations.
Russia has seen the number of new cases fall nationwide following a nationwide lockdown that was lifted mid-May. Day-to-day life has returned to pre-pandemic levels of activity, according to a "self-isolation index" based on location data gathered by Yandex, Bloomberg reported.
Nearly 900,000 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in Russia, making it the fourth-highest in confirmed cases in the world, per the outlet. According to Federal Statistics Service data published this week, the country recorded over 27,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the second quarter.