MOSCOW (AP) – While enthusiasm and enthusiasm welcomed the coronavirus vaccine developed in the West when it was launched, the Russian version received a mixed response, with reports of empty clinics in Moscow offering shots of health workers and teachers – the first members of the public appointed to receive it.
Kremlin officials and state-controlled media promoted the Sputnik V vaccine as a major achievement after it was approved on August 11th. But among Russians, hopes that the shooting would reverse the course of the COVID-19 crisis were mixed with caution and skepticism, reflecting concerns about how it was rushed while still in the next testing phase to ensure its effectiveness and safety.
Russia has faced international criticism for approving a vaccine that has not completed advanced studies among tens of thousands of people, and experts at home and abroad have warned against its wider use until studies are completed.
Despite these warnings, authorities began offering them to certain high-risk groups, such as front-line medical workers, within weeks of approval. Alexander Gintsburg, the head of the Gamaleya Institute that developed the vaccine, said last week that more than 150,000 Russians had taken it.
One beneficiary was Dr. Alexander Zatsepin, a specialist in intensive care in Voronezh, a town 500 kilometers south of Moscow, who received the vaccine in October.
“We have been working with patients with COVID-19 since March, and every day when we come home, we worry that we are infecting our family members. So when the opportunity arose to protect me and me, I thought it should be used, ”he said.
But Zatsepin said he was still taking precautions against the infection because studies on the vaccine’s effectiveness were not complete.
“There is no absolute trust yet,” he said.
After Britain announced on December 2 that it had approved a vaccine developed by drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech, President Vladimir Putin told authorities to launch a large-scale inoculation campaign, a sign of Moscow’s desire to lead the race. against the pandemic.
Russia approved its vaccine after testing only a few dozen people, declaring it the “first in the world” to receive an opinion. The developers called it “Sputnik V”, a reference to the Soviet Union’s 1957 launch of the world’s first satellite during the Cold War.
More than just national pride is at stake. Russia has registered over 2.7 million cases of COVID-19 and over 49,000 deaths and wants to avoid another damaging blockage of its economy.
On December 2, Putin cited a target of more than 2 million doses in the coming days. Despite such a limited offer for a nation of 146 million, Moscow immediately expanded who was eligible for it. Images are free for everyone in medical or educational units, both state and private; social and municipal workers; retail workers and services; and those in art.
The European Medicines Agency said it had not received a request from vaccine manufacturers to consider licensing for use in the EU, but some data was shared with the World Health Organization. The UN agency does not usually approve the vaccines themselves, but expects the regulatory agencies to weigh in first. The Russian vaccine is considered to be considered for use in a global WHO-led effort to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries.
Unlike the UK, where the first photos are for the elderly, Sputnik V is aimed at those aged between 18 and 60 who are not chronically ill and are not pregnant or breastfeeding.
Putin himself has not yet received a blow made in Russia. The 68-year-old Russian leader said that Russian shootings are currently recommended for people of a certain age, adding that “vaccines have not yet reached people like me.” “But I will certainly do it as soon as possible,” Putin told an annual news conference on Thursday.
Its developers said the study data suggest the vaccine was 91% effective, a finding based on 78 infections in nearly 23,000 participants. There are far fewer cases than Western drug manufacturers accumulated during the final testing before analyzing the effectiveness of their candidates, and important demographic and other details from the study were not published.
Some experts say that such effectiveness rates inspire optimism, but public confidence can be a problem.
“I’m not so worried that Sputnik V is unsafe or less effective than we need to be,” said Judy Twigg, a political science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University who specializes in global health. “I’m worried about whether or not people will be willing to take her to Russia.”
A survey conducted in October by the Levada Center, Russia’s largest independent poll, found that 59 percent of Russians were unwilling to receive fire even if it was offered for free.
Denis Volkov, a sociologist and deputy director of the Levada Center, says respondents cited unfinished clinical trials, saying the vaccine is “raw” and that there are suspicions about claims that Russia was the first country to have a vaccine while others still working on theirs.
Some health workers and teachers interviewed by The Associated Press have expressed skepticism about the vaccine because it has not been fully tested.
Dr. Yekaterina Kasyanova, from the Kemerovo region of Siberia, said she did not have enough confidence to get the shot and advised her mother, a teacher, not to receive it, adding: “The vaccine is a few months old. … Long-term side effects are not known, its effectiveness has not been proven. “
Dzhamilya Kryazheva, a teacher in Krasnogorsk near Moscow, echoed that sentiment.
“I do not intend to experiment on my body. I have three children, “she said.
For other health workers, choosing to be vaccinated was easy.
“People die here every day. Every day, we make corpses. What to think about? Said Dr. Marina Pecherkina, a specialist in infectious diseases in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok. She received photos in October due to her daily work with coronavirus patients.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said about 15,000 people had been shot since vaccinations began on December 5th. But some media reports about the first days of the Moscow campaign showed empty clinics and medical workers offering shots to anyone who entered. because the vaccine should be kept at minus 18 degrees Celsius (minus 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit) and each vial contains five doses. Once thawed, it should be administered within two hours or discarded.
The launch outside Moscow and the surrounding region seems to be going much slower, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said all regions began vaccination on December 15th.
Media reports have suggested that there may be problems with expanding the production and distribution of Sputnik V. It uses two different adenovirus vectors for the two-stroke regimen, which complicates production. In addition, storage and transport at low temperatures make it difficult to travel to the vast country.
There were also confusing signals as to whether the beneficiaries should consume alcohol. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said those vaccinated should refrain from drinking three days before and after the shootings.
Several Siberian health workers who received the vaccine later reported contracting the virus, but health officials said it had not been long enough to develop antibodies.
Dr. Yevgenia Alexeyeva from the Siberian city of Tomsk tested positive for the virus 12 days after the second blow. Alexeyeva said she was not surprised by the result and did not shake her confidence in the vaccine.
“The vaccine does not guarantee that the person will not be infected. But it should protect us from the development of a severe case, “Alexeyeva said.
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Vladimir Kondrashov and Anatoly Kozlov in Moscow and Tatyana Salimova in Tomsk contributed to this report.
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