Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Published : November 18, 2020 8:53 AM IST
दावा: फाइजर की कोरोना वायरस वैक्सीन 95 प्रतिशत तक कारगर
President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday stressed on the importance of a joint effort by the BRICS countries on the development of the coronavirus vaccines. He also suggested that Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 could be produced in China and India, which are members of the five-nation bloc. Now, Russia has also announced a second vaccine aimed at fighting the disease. The post-registration trials of the "EpiVacCorona" vaccine against COVID-19 have begun in Russia, head of the Russian Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare Anna Popova said on Tuesday, according to a media report. Russia became the first country to give regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine in August when Sputnik V was officially registered ahead of large-scale clinical trial.
The second Russian vaccine to get regulatory approval, dubbed EpiVacCorona, has been developed by the Vector State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology. "We can only stop the spread (of COVID-19) through vaccination. There are enough vaccines in the world at high levels of development. Russia continues to develop and issue vaccines," Popova was quoted as saying by TASS news agency during an online symposium dedicated to COVID-19 research.
The EpiVacCorona vaccine does not contain the live virus and forms immunity due to the use of artificially synthesised peptides. The Vector Research Centre received the approval of the Russian Health Ministry to carry out clinical trials of the vaccine on volunteers on July 24. On July 27, the first volunteer got the vaccine shot. Popova informed earlier that the clinical trials of the vaccine had ended on September 30. The vaccine was registered on October 14, said the report.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova had earlier said that she tested EpiVacCorona vaccine herself and experienced no side effects, according to a Sputnik news agency report last month. "The Vector centre is also initiating post-registration clinical trials in the various regions of Russia that would include 40,000 volunteers," she was quoted as saying.
On Aug 11, Russia announced the launch of Sputnik V, and by Sept 4, the results of its phase 1/2 studies were published in The Lancet. This is an adenovirus-based vaccine candidate against COVID-19. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund), announced the results of a survey of more than 12,000 respondents in 11 countries on their attitude towards vaccination against coronavirus and their vaccine preferences. According to the recently concluded survey, nearly 73 per cent of respondents expressed readiness in being vaccinated against coronavirus. Furthermore, the percentage of respondents who expressed readiness is even higher among those who are aware of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine: with four out of five respondents saying they would like to be vaccinated. The increase in percentage could also be attributed to high levels of confidence in Russia as a global vaccine manufacturer.
(With inputs from IANS)
