Russia likely to approve the world's first COVID-19 vaccine for public use by mid-August: Report

Guwahati: Amid the growing number of deadly coronavirus infections and deaths across the world, Russia is aiming to be the first in the world to authorize a coronavirus vaccine for widespread use in less than two weeks despite safety and efficacy concerns, reports said.

Amid soaring cases in the country, the Russian military and government researchers have come up with an adenoviral vector-based vaccine which is currently in phase 2 trials.

According to a CNN report, Russian officials are expecting to get approval for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute by August 10.

The officials reportedly told the outlet that the vaccine will be approved for public use soon, with frontline healthcare workers receiving it first.

"It's a Sputnik moment," said Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, which is financing Russian vaccine research, referring to the successful 1957 launch of the world's first satellite by the Soviet Union.

"Americans were surprised when they heard Sputnik's beeping. It's the same with this vaccine. Russia will have got there first," he is quoted as saying.

Notably, Russia is yet to release the scientific data on its Covid-19 vaccine trials, hence, questions remain rife about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, said the report.

The drug is in the second phase of testing with developers planning to launch the phase 3 trials sometime after August 3.

Earlier, Interfax reported, citing Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, that the vaccine will be widely used in parallel with phase 3 trials. He added that Russia plans to vaccinate medics who are at high-risk for COVID-19 next month, even before clinical trials are completed.

Murashko also informed that individuals at higher risk of getting infected with the coronavirus such as older people or those with health conditions will also be prioritized for the vaccine, although he did not estimate or reveal when that would happen. The minister added 800 people will be recruited for the phase 3 trials.

Meanwhile, the Moscow Times reported that health officials were more cautious considering the fact that human testing of the vaccine is incomplete, and the state registration is expected to begin after August 3.

On Monday, Moderna and Pfizer announced the beginning of the final phase 3 trials of their candidate vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has so far claimed at least 6 lakh lives across the world.

The researchers will recruit up to 30,000 volunteers in separate trials, both financed by the US government.

It is to be mentioned that India's first indigenous coronavirus vaccine, COVAXIN, is undergoing phase 1 human clinical trials across the nation.

More than 150 COVID-19 vaccines are being developed across the globe, with at least six candidates already in late-stage clinical trials.

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