15 scientists raise doubts on Sputnik V

BEIJING/ MILAN: A group of scientists sent a letter to the Lancet on Monday outlining doubts about the accuracy of early data on Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine, one of the authors said, adding further fuel to a dispute surrounding the Sputnik-V shot.

Fifteen scientists from five countries signed the letter presenting their concerns to the international medical journal, Enrico Bucci, biologist adjunct professor at Philadelphia’s Temple University, told Reuters.

The move highlights growing concern about the effectiveness of the Sputnik-V vaccine, which the Russian government approved for use before completing full human trials.

The official letter came days after a larger group of scientists signed a letter to the Lancet’s editor, published on Bucci’s blog, after the journal published the early-stage trial results from Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute.

China’s vaccine may be ready in November: CDC Coronavirus vaccines being developed in China may be ready for use by the public as early as November, an official with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

China has four Covid-19 vaccines in the final stage of trials. At least three of those have already been offered to essential workers under an emergency use programme launched in July.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine trial remains on hold in the US pending an investigation into a serious side effect in Britain. AstraZeneca on Saturday said it had restarted its trial in Britain after regulators completed their review of a serious side effect in one trial participant there.

Meanwhile, as the global number of coronavirus cases inched towards the 30 million mark, a report by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation warned that the knock-on effects of the pandemic have halted and reversed global health progress, setting it back 25 years and exposing millions to the risk of deadly disease.

China has locked down the city of Ruili on the border with Myanmar and ordered all its residents to be tested for Covid-19 after a number of people infected with the coronavirus illegally entered the city from the neighbouring country.

THE LATEST MOVE HIGHLIGHTS RISING CONCERN AMONG SCIENTISTS ABOUT THE EFFICACY OF THE RUSSIAN VACCINE.