Russia said Wednesday the first batch of its Covid-19 vaccine will be ready within two weeks for some medicines and dismissed as “groundless” health concerns raised by some experts over Moscow ‘s rapid product approval. President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that after less than two months of human testing Russia became the first country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine.
The vaccine has also not completed its final trials. Only about 10% of clinical trials are successful and some scientists are afraid that Moscow could put national prestige before security. “It seems our foreign colleagues are sensing the specific competitive advantages of the Russian drug and are trying to express opinions that in our opinion are completely groundless,” Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Wednesday.
Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya Center, said that clinical trials should be released once Russia’s own experts have evaluated them. He said Russia is preparing to produce 5 million doses a month by December-January. Kazakhstan plans later this month to send government officials to Moscow to discuss possible deliveries of the vaccine, its presidential office said.
