GOOD NEWS: RUSSIAN COVID-19 VACCINE COMPLETES CLINICAL TRIALS; MASS VACCINATION TO BEGIN – DETAILS

Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute has been developing a potential novel coronavirus vaccine which has completed clinical trials. Reports suggest that it is underway to receive the registration and complete the paperwork under Russia’s legal regulatory body.

Russia’s health minister has confirmed that the country is looking at mass immunisation by October, wherein, a large number of people will be vaccinated. However, the minister also announced that the doctors and teachers will be the first to receive the vaccination.

Despite having released these statements, their reports do not specify if the three stages of clinical trials are over or if only stage II is complete. The final stage takes a few months to be completed. The Russian vaccine has added concerns as it is being pushed at a great speed considering the coronavirus emergency that prevails.

“I do hope that the Chinese and the Russians are actually testing the vaccines before they are administering the vaccine to anyone. Because claims of having a vaccine ready to distribute before you do testing is problematic at the very least,” Anthony Fauci, a top US infectious disease expert said.

Previously it was claimed by Russian news reports that the phase III will be carried out alongside the development for public use. But no mention of phase III has surfaced yet.