Simone King
Editor
Since the emergence of COVID-19, several countries have been racing to produce a vaccine. Russia became the first country to approve a vaccine for this virus, which has since then caused a lot of controversy. On August 11, 2020, the Ministry of Health in Russia issued a registration certificate for a vaccine candidate developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow. When this certificate was issued, the vaccine, named Sputnik V, had only been tested on 76 people.
Many doctors and scientists have expressed their skepticism about the validity of this vaccine as it has not completed the essential Phase III, late-stage, control trials which help indicate the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine. A survey conducted by the Doctor’s Handbook app found that 52% of Russian healthcare professionals wouldn’t take this vaccine. Their reasonings were that there was insufficient data for the vaccine’s effectiveness and that it was developed too fast.
When asked if she would take this potential COVID-19 vaccine, Abigail Cea, a junior at CHS, said, “Probably not, at least not until it is proven to be safe and reliable by scientists and doctors.” The same sentiment is shared by many doctors across the world. In the same survey conducted by the Doctor’s Handbook app, only 24.5% of the 3,000 healthcare professionals interviewed would take the vaccine.
Since the release of the registration certificate, Kazakhstan has signed a deal with the Russian Direct Investment Fund for guaranteed access to two million initial doses, if the vaccine goes into clinical production after completing clinical trials. While a vaccine for COVID-19 is anticipated by many, this vaccine still has a way to go before it can be used by the public.
(Photo courtesy of Simone King)