Russia produces first batch of Covid-19 vaccine, days after approval

The production of the vaccine, nicknamed Sputnik V, comes amid concern that Moscow may be putting national prestige before safety

The vaccine’s approval came before trials that would normally involve thousands of participants, commonly known as Phase III

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A scientist works on the production of Russia’s new Covid-19 vaccine in Moscow. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:11pm, 15 Aug 2020Updated: 8:32pm, 15 Aug 2020

Russia on Saturday said it has produced the first batch of its coronavirus vaccine, after President Vladimir Putin announced it had been first in the world to approve a vaccine.

Putin’s announcement on Tuesday about the vaccine was met with caution from scientists and the World Health Organisation (WHO) who said it still needed a rigorous safety review.

“The first batch of the novel coronavirus vaccine developed by the Gamaleya research institute has been produced,” the health ministry said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies.

Russia’s vaccine has been named “Sputnik V”. Photo: EPA-EFE

Putin said the vaccine was safe and that one of his own daughters had been inoculated, though clinical trials were not yet complete and final stage testing involving more than 2,000 people only started this week.

Western scientists were sceptical, with some warning that moving too quickly on a vaccine could be dangerous, but Russia denounced criticism as an attempt to undermine Moscow’s research.

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