Putin’s once-despised vaccine is now a favorite in the fight against the pandemic

Photographer: Jorge Bernal / AFP / Getty Images

President Vladimir Putin’s announcement in August that Russia had it eliminated the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine to be used before it even completed safety studies that sparked worldwide skepticism. Now he could reap diplomatic dividends as Russia undoubtedly enjoys the greatest scientific breakthrough since the Soviet era.

Countries prepare for supply of Sputnik V after peer-reviewed results published in The Lancet this week showed Russia’s vaccine protects against the deadly virus as well as US and European strikes and is much more effective than Chinese rivals .

At least 19 countries have approved inoculation for use, including Hungary, a member state of the European Union, while key markets such as Brazil and India are close to authorizing it. Russia is now fixing its vision on the precious EU market as the bloc struggles with its vaccination program amid supply shortages.

In the global fight to defeat a 2.3 million pandemic in just over a year, the race for vaccines has taken on geopolitical significance as governments try to break out of the huge social and economic damage caused by blockages imposed to limit the spread of the virus. This gives Russia an advantage as one of a handful of countries in which scientists have produced an effective defense.

His decision to name Sputnik V after the world’s first satellite launched in 1957 gave the Soviet Union an astonishing triumph over the United States to launch the space race only underscored the magnitude of Moscow’s significance for the achievement. The results of studies from the late stage of 20,000 participants analyzed in The Lancet showed that the vaccine has a success rate of 91.6%.

“This is an important moment for us,” said Kirill Dmitriev, executive director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which has supported the development of Sputnik V and is in charge of its international launch.

Putin’s promise

More than 30 countries have agreed to buy or produce Sputnik V.

Source: Public announcement by officials from Russia and other countries

Although it is too early to assess Putin’s political gains, Russia is already producing much of the vaccine’s soft-power impact on its image, after years of international condemnation for mixing elections and targeting political opponents at home and abroad. State television broadcasts extensively on deliveries to other nations.

Sputnik’s success will not change Putin’s hostility to Western governments, although it could strengthen Russia’s geopolitical influence in regions such as Latin America, according to Oksana Antonenko, director of Control Risk.

“With this vaccine, it has proven to be able to produce something new that is in demand around the world,” she said.

Production constraints are the biggest challenge facing all producers, as global demand far exceeds supply. Russia, hiring free photos for its 146 million population, began production last year, and the vaccine is currently manufactured in countries such as India, South Korea and Brazil.

This week, a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared, signed an agreement to produce Sputnik V in Turkey, even though the country has bids to buy 50 million doses of CoronaVac vaccine from China Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and 4.5 million doses of Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE shotgun.

Despite Russia’s success, domestic demand remains warm so far, driven by public suspicion by the authorities. Putin, 68, fueled skepticism in December when he said he was waiting to receive the inoculation until it was removed for people his age.

He has not yet said whether he has been vaccinated, but other nations are not waiting to find out. The day after announcing that he had contracted Covid-19, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on January 25 that he thanked a Putin “truly affectionate” for promising 24 million doses of Sputnik V in the next two months. Three days later, Bolivian President Luis Arce personally took over a lot at La Paz airport.

Latin America is proving to be fertile territory. Argentina, which has struggled to obtain vaccine supplies, began its mass inoculation program after receiving more than half a million doses of Sputnik V by January. He was joined by Nicaragua, Paraguay and Venezuela. In Brazil, the largest market in the region, a decision announced on February 3 to drop the requirement for third-phase tests for emergency use could speed up approval.

Guinea became the first African nation to begin releasing Sputnik V in December, with Moscow-friendly president Alpha Conde and several ministers taking the vaccine. It is expected to receive 1.6 million doses this year and is also in talks to purchase Chinese vaccines along with AstraZeneca Plc shot. Zimbabwe, the Central African Republic and Ivory Coast are among other potential customers for Russia.

“We are not in a position to say no to a vaccine. We opted for the Pfizer vaccine, but we are also looking at other vaccines “, said Professor Joseph Benie, head of the National Institute of Public Hygiene in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. “Now it is urgent to start inoculating.”

Unlike the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, Sputnik V can be stored in a refrigerator rather than a freezer, making transportation and distribution easier in poorer and warmer countries. At about $ 20 for a two-shot vaccination, it’s also cheaper than most Western alternatives. Although more expensive than AstraZeneca, Russian inoculation proved to be higher efficacy than the UK vaccine.

For some nations like Iran, which received The first batch of a promise of 2 million doses this week, Russia offers a more pleasant political alternative than Western suppliers. But Russia is also making inroads in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, which is traditionally close to the United States and has approved Sputnik V for use.

China, whose vaccinations are up to 50% effective in the case of Sinovac Biotech, retains an advantage in Asia. Only a handful of countries have opted for Sputnik V, including the Philippines, which is in talks for 25 million doses.

Chinese developers could now team up with Russia. RDIF has concluded a preliminary agreement to test a combined regimen of photos from Sputnik V and CanSino Biologics in China to increase effectiveness against Covid-19, people with knowledge of the issue said Friday.