Dr. Mariangela Simao, an expert in vaccines for that agency HIM-HER-ITsaid at a press conference that officials from the WHO they were going to Russia on March 7 to inspect the facilities where the Russian vaccine, called Sputnik V.
That was a few days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“These inspections have been postponed to a later date,” Simao stated.
Read also: Gene that causes cancer identified
“The evaluation and inspections have been affected by the situation,” he added, explaining that the delegation has had problems booking flights and using credit cards, “and other operational issues.”
Western countries have mostly closed their airspace to Russian planes and imposed heavy economic sanctions against Russia and its financial institutions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“This situation has been discussed with Russian officials and a new date will be set as soon as possible,” Simao said.
The WHO has been studying the possibility of approving the Russian vaccine as an emergency since last year. The authorization would allow the use of the Russian vaccine in the COVAX program of the UN, which distributes vaccines to poor countries, and would give credibility to Sputnik V, which has been received with disdain.
Read too. James Webb Telescope captures the first images of a distant star
A study, published in 2020 by the journal “The Lancet” and in which more than 20 thousand people participated, found that Sputnik V was free of harmful effects, that it had an efficacy of 91% against infection and that it had a high efficacy in prevention of severe symptoms.
But in October last year, South Africa’s pharmaceutical regulator rejected the Russian vaccine, citing questions the Russian manufacturer was unable to answer. South African authorities fear that the technology used in Sputnik V could have harmful effects on populations with a high incidence of HIV.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) says it is still evaluating the effectiveness of Sputnik V, which has been approved in more than 70 countries. To date, no major problems have arisen related to that vaccine.
worm
–
