Putin tests nasal vaccine for COVID-19
MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he has taken an experimental nasal vaccine against COVID-19, three days after he received his booster shot.
Russia is facing its worst surge of infections and deaths since the pandemic began and is struggling to overcome widespread vaccine hesitancy.
Putin was vaccinated with Sputnik V, Russia’s domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, in the spring. On Sunday, he said he received a booster shot of Sputnik Light, the one-dose version of the jab, and said he wanted to take part in testing the nasal version of Sputnik V.
Denis Logunov, deputy director of Russia’s state-funded Gamaleya Center that developed Sputnik V, told Putin on Sunday the nasal vaccine is yet to go through clinical studies and is currently being tested “off-label mostly” – on the center’s staff members.
In accordance with established scientific protocols, the vaccine will need to go through several trial phases to establish that it is safe and effective to use.
Putin told a government meeting Wednesday that “exactly six months after vaccination, my titers of protective (antibodies) have dropped, and specialists recommended the procedure of revaccination, which I did.”
He said he didn’t experience any unpleasant effects after taking the nasal vaccine.
In recent weeks, Russia has been swept by its worst-ever COVID-19 surge, with officials regularly registering record-high numbers of new infections and deaths.