Russia approved a vaccine for the coronavirus for the second time on Wednesday. Unlike Western countries, the country does not wait for the results of the usual clinical trials among large groups of people. The Russians have come under much criticism from the scientific community.
The new vaccine was developed by the Siberian Vector Institute, which went through an early stage of testing with the vaccine last month. Neither vaccine is currently used in the general public. For this, the country wants to wait until the finalization of the final tests.
On Russian state television, President Vladimir Putin said that the production of the first and second vaccines must be scaled up quickly. The vaccine will also be promoted abroad.
Criticism of quick approval
In August, Russia already approved the vaccine Sputnik V, made by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow. Putin said at the time that the vaccine is safe. According to him, even one of his own daughters was vaccinated with it.
Normally, the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine should be tested in groups of thousands of people. Russia is not waiting for the results of these tests to approve the vaccines. Scientists in other countries have strongly criticized this.
The WHO health organization has asked Russia for permission to examine Sputnik V to ensure its reliability.
Coronavirus is also on the rise in Russia
As in many other European countries, the corona virus has made a major comeback in Russia in recent weeks. On Wednesday, the corona task force reported more than 14,000 new positive tests in the past 24 hours, a new day record. The official death toll also rose by 239 to 23,205.
For two weeks now, secondary school students in the capital Moscow, where most of the infections have been diagnosed, have had to take their lessons online. But Russian authorities still see no reason to resort to tougher lockdown measures.
“We think the situation is manageable and there is no need for further restrictions on the economy,” Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said on Wednesday at a government meeting led by Putin.
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