Russia names its new Covid-19 vaccine as ‘Sputnik V’

Russia has decided to name its first COVID 19 vaccine as ‘Sputnik V’ for the foreign markets since this name is a reference to the first satellite of the world. This is a big success for the Russian government since Russia is the first country to register a vaccine for the COVID 19 disease.

Background

Russia has announced that it is going to register its vaccine on August 12 and this is developed by Gamaleya Institute and Defence Ministry of the country. However, it is not clear whether the country has complied with all the guidelines of testing the vaccine and that is why; WHO is also not sure of the effectiveness and safety of this vaccine. Russia has also stated that around 20 countries have already pre-booked one billion doses of COVID 19 vaccine for the patients in their countries.

COVID 19 Vaccine Scenario

In the world, six vaccines are being tested as probable candidates for curing the deadly disease in the world. All these are in the final states of trial and apart from these; many other vaccines are also being developed in various countries of the world. In India also, two vaccines are being tested – one developed by Bharat Biotech and another by Serum Institute of India.

What is Sputnik V?

Sputnik V was the first-ever artificial satellite launched by Russia. Now, Russia has compared the development of COVID 19 vaccine with that space race and in order to showcase its victory in this race, that space reference is being used in this case also.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2020