President Vladimir Putin just announced that it has approved the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine. Researched and developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute, the president of Russia claims that the vaccine is safe and that it has been administered to one of his daughters already. It’s also the first of the 100 possible inoculations around the world approved by the regulatory board, with only four reaching the final Phase III of human trials. Interestingly, Russia’s vaccine has yet to complete Phase III.
As reported by Reuters, Russia’s health ministry’s approval of the COVID-19 vaccine foreshadows a larger trial, aka Phase III, which involves thousands of participants. This final phase is where the efficiency of the vaccine gets tested, how it reacts and develops antibodies against the virus. However, regulators around the world insisted that the rush to develop potential vaccines will not compromise safety. In turn, public distrust continues to grow despite the governments’ efforts to prevent the spread of the virus.
Putin claims that its vaccine has “passed all the needed checks” and is hoping to be mass-produced soon. The Philippines is one of the receivers of the vaccine from Russia, as President Rodrigo Duterte scrambles to find a way to jumpstart the economy and help the country to combat the contagious virus.
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