Coronavirus

Russian Minister Claims COVID Vaccine Ready For Use

By
OB Bureau

Moscow: A top Russian minister has claimed that a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the country’s Defence Ministry has completed Phase 2 trials and it was ready for use for domestic inoculation.

In an interview with Argumenty i Fakty newspaper published on Tuesday, Russia’s First Deputy Defence Minister Ruslan Tsalikov said a second group of volunteers ended phase 2 trials Monday, with everyone developing immunity from coronavirus and feeling fine.

The minister, however, didn’t say when large-scale phase 3 trials would take place or when production of the vaccine may begin, according to a report by news agency Bloomberg.

The Russian Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tests of the vaccine are continuing, the Interfax news service reported, citing the Health Ministry in response to the statement.

“They’re all getting ahead of themselves,” said Sergei Netesov, a former executive at Vector, a state-run virology centre in Novosibirsk that is also working on an inoculation. “The third phase has not started yet, or even been announced. The reason they’re in such a rush is completely incomprehensible,” he added.

The Russian army is developing the vaccine with the state-run Gamaleya Institute in Moscow and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).

The phase 3 trials, which will include thousands of people in Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are scheduled to begin on August 3 and distribution of the vaccine could start as early as September, RDIF’s head Kirill Dmitriev had said last week.

Also Read: COVID-19 Vaccine In India By February Next Year, Says ILS Odisha Director

Also Read: Did Russia’s Elite Get Access To Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine In April? 

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Odisha CM Directs To Supply 3 Months’ PDS Rice To Beneficiaries In Advance

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister on Tuesday issued direction to provide rice of three months' quota…

November 5, 2024

[Watch] Salman Khan Shoots For ‘Sikander’ In Falaknuma Palace Amid Tight Security

Mumbai: In the wake of a fresh death threat by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, actor…

November 5, 2024

Bachchan Family Upset With Nimrat Kaur, To Take Action Against Source Of Rumour

Mumbai: Rumours about Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai’s divorce have been doing the rounds for…

November 5, 2024

Surge In Patients With Respiratory Issues In Delhi Hospitals

New Delhi: Hospitals across Delhi are witnessing a spike in the number of patients with…

November 5, 2024

ISKCON Cancels ‘Untimely’ Rath Yatra In Houston

Bhubaneswar: Facing a strong opposition from the devotees of Lord Jagannath and Puri Gajapati Maharaja…

November 5, 2024

[Watch] Is Abhishek Bachchan’s ‘I Want To Talk’ Similar To Dad Amitabh’s ‘Piku’?

Mumbai: The trailer of the highly-anticipated Abhishek Bachchan starrer ‘I Want to Talk’ was unveiled…

November 5, 2024

One Killed, Two Injured In Mukhyamantri Bus-Bike Collision In Odisha’s Ganjam

Berhampur: One person was killed and two others were injured in a collision between a…

November 5, 2024

Raveena Tandon’s Daughter To Debut With Ajay Devgn’s Nephew

Mumbai: Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon’s beautiful daughter Rasha Thadani is all set to make her…

November 5, 2024