Russia becomes first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine
Russia has become the first country to deem a coronavirus vaccine as safe for widespread use after less than two months of human testing , according to President Vladimir Putin.
Putin said the vaccine has “passed all the needed checks” and that he had even given the vaccine to one of his daughters.
The vaccine was developed at the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow and has been granted regulatory approval by Russia’s health ministry.
Putin said that Russia would now begin a wide national roll out of the vaccine.
The news is sure to prompt skepticism that a country has been able to approve a safe vaccine in such a short time, despite Putin’s assurances to the contrary.
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The Gamaleya Institute vaccine has been deemed safe for roll out even before it has completed Phase III trials, which involve thousands of participants.
Usually vaccines are not deemed safe before this phase of testing happens.
Russia has said that the quick turnaround is in fact evidence of its scientific prowess and not unsafe practices.
Putin’s announcement comes after the UK, US and Canada claimed last month that Kremlin-backed cyber criminals had hacked into organisations and laboratories working on Covid-19 vaccines.
The hacking group known as APT29 – also known as Cozy Bear and The Dukes – allegedly tried to steal information across the globe from vaccine trials.
It is believed that the UK’s two coronavirus vaccine projects at Oxford University and Imperial College were targets of the group.