Russia races to develop vaccine

MOSCOW — In Russia’s push to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, researchers have tested formulas on themselves, members of the military have been selected for trials and some officials are claiming that a breakthrough could be just months away.

But Russia’s rush to be first — and claim the global bragging rights for President Vladimir Putin’s government — also is prompting some in the country to raise warnings about possibly cutting corners with testing and keeping expectations in check.

“There are still too many questions to give you time predictions,” said the head of Russia’s consumer health regulator, Anna Popova, speaking on a panel Thursday.

“We all want it now, but I know we won’t get it by tomorrow,” she said at an event hosted by the Valdai Discussion Club, a Moscow-based think tank.

“We all want to get there as quickly as possible without violating the ethical rules.”

The contrasting approaches offer a sense of the internal tensions in Russia as the state-backed medical system is throwing resources at potential vaccines. That has led to highly unorthodox proposals that critics say cross ethical lines — such as researchers taking self-administered doses of test samples and a politician’s suggestion of using inmates in clinical trials.

“When we mention some timelines, this is always somebody’s hope,” Popova said. “We can say when it’s technically going to be possible to get the vaccine, but we cannot say in advance how efficient that vaccine is going to be.”

Russia is far from alone in the vaccine hunt. It is competing against other countries including the U.S and China.