Russian vaccine and WHO stand

The world would have to wait and see how reports of a Russian vaccine for COVID-19 develop. It is too early to comment on it, said Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera, pointing out that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is in negotiation with Russia to see what is happening.

Explaining that usually it would take decades to produce a vaccine, he said that in the light of the threat posed by COVID-19, many teams across the world have fast-tracked the process and there are 20-30 potential candidates. But clinical trials and proper testing and procedures have to be followed strictly.

Dr. Samaraweera said that for vaccines to be accepted, they have to be pre-qualified by the WHO. There is a platform set up by GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, along with donor agencies which has assured that every country would get a quota of any vaccine against COVID-19, either free or at cost, depending on the country’s economy.

According to reports, the Gamaleya Research Institute of the Russian Ministry of Health launched Phase I trials on ‘Gam-Covid-Vac Lyo’, a vaccine which is a combination of two adenoviruses, Ad5 and Ad26 that were engineered with a coronavirus gene.

On August 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the vaccine which had a name-change to ‘Sputnik V’, had been approved by the Russian health care regulator before Phase III trials had begun and his daughter had also been administered the vaccine.

It is to be available within two weeks primarily for doctors and widely in October.

The WHO has said it was in talks with the Russian authorities about undertaking a review of the vaccine as it is not among the list of six vaccines that have reached Phase III trials, which involve more widespread testing in humans.