   Russia has also been accused by the United States, Britain and Canada of using hackers to steal vaccine research from labs in their countries. - A.M. Costa Rica wire services photo- |
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 Published Monday, August 24, 2020 International News Mexico could test Russian
covid-19 vaccine, says report By A.M. Costa Rica wire services Mexico could begin testing a Russian-licensed coronavirus vaccine as early as next month, reported Voice of America Journal (VOA) on Sunday. According to a VOA report, the country will receive at least 2,000 doses of the vaccine. Russia became the first country to license a vaccine last week when President Vladimir Putin announced its approval, although only a few dozen people have tested the vaccine. "I know that it works quite effectively, it forms a stable immunity,” Putin said of the new vaccine developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute. He said the vaccine had undergone “all the necessary checks” to ensure its safety, adding that his own daughter has been inoculated in an early testing phase. The president said his daughter ran a slight fever on the first day, but her temperature dropped to normal the following day. Production of the new Russian vaccine, which has been dubbed Sputnik V, in honor of the world’s first man-made satellite launched by the then-Soviet Union in 1957, will begin next month, with mass vaccinations starting as early as October. Russian authorities have said that medical workers, teachers and other high-risk groups will be the first to be inoculated. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that the vaccination of doctors could start as early as this month. The Russian vaccine is not among the handful that reached the third and final phase of testing in human trials, which usually involves thousands of people and lasts for months, according to the World Health Organization. Scientists within Russia and abroad have questioned the move to register the vaccine before Phase 3 trials are complete. Critics say this could prove harmful to patients, and either lead to a false sense of security or undermine trust in vaccinations. And Russia has also been accused by the United States, Britain and Canada of using hackers to steal vaccine research from labs in their countries. Putin’s announcement comes as Chinese-based biotech company Sinovac has launched a late-stage human trial of a potential covid-19 vaccine in Indonesia. The vaccine, dubbed CoronaVac, will be administered to as many as 1,620 volunteers to test its safety and effectiveness. Indonesia is the second nation where Sinovac has launched a late-stage trial. Sinovac has already launched a late-stage trial of CoronaVac in Brazil, which has more than 3 million confirmed coronavirus infections and more than 114,000 deaths. Sinovac may also soon begin late-stage human trials of CoronaVac in Bangladesh. The company is not conducting human tests in China because of the low number of new infections. Mexico is also working with vaccine producers in Britain, the United States and China to acquire a vaccine as soon as possible for its people. As of Sunday night, the pandemic has killed 60,480 patients in Mexico, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. -------------------------------- How could Mexico make the risky choice to apply the Russian covid-19 vaccine in humans without having carried out the required basic quality tests? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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