Russian vaccine

With its surprise announcement on Tuesday of having approved the vaccine for novel coronavirus, Russia has beaten all other candidates — there are over 150 of them in various stages of testing and trial, with five of them in the final leg — in the race for the vaccine, the production of which has been fast-tracked by most countries. The new vaccine has naturally triggered excitement, with hope floating for an early containment of the deadly virus even as the logistics and ethics of inoculation, mass production, procurement and general accessibility are being debated and discussed. Russia aims to first inoculate health workers and then teachers on a voluntary basis. Mass production is slated for October. It claims to have signed pacts with foreign countries to make 500 million doses of the vaccine that it has named Sputnik V.

However, tempering Putin’s claim of the vaccine offering ‘sustainable immunity’ against Covid-19 is scepticism. The concern arises from the fact that Sputnik V is yet to undergo phase III trials on humans. Many experts have questioned its efficacy and fear that Russia, in reckless hurry, may have put national prestige before safety. WHO has specified the importance of vaccines passing through all stages of testing before being rolled out. Even if India were to procure Sputnik V, its phase II and III trials on locals are necessary before approval for use. And, that would take a few months.

There are three vaccine candidates — two indigenous ones and one from Oxford — undergoing human clinical trials in India. They are perhaps a better bet. The Dr VK Paul-headed expert committee, set up to consider vaccine administration, has already started confabulations with state governments and vaccine manufacturers so as to be ready with the wherewithal of inoculating people against the disease the moment a vaccine is cleared for use. With more than two crore people having been infected and nearly 7.5 lakh having died of Covid-19 till now, and economies having been crippled beyond any comparable event in almost a century, all eyes are on the magical shot.

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