Russia to Launch First COVID 19 Vaccine

Russia has announced that it is going to launch the first-ever vaccine for the deadly COVID 19 disease as early as in a week. The vaccine has been developed by Gamaleya Research Institute and the Defence Ministry of the country. The vaccine is set to be registered by August 12.

Details of the Vaccine

The vaccine is now in its third phase and it is underway as of now. The country is conducting rigorous trials for the vaccine since it is very much important as per the WHO Guidelines. The country has also announced that the medical professionals and the senior citizens will be the first to get vaccinated by this vaccine. Once it is registered, this will be tested on about 1600 people to ensure its safety and effectiveness.

What all happened in the Background?

The country has started trials of the vaccine on June 17 among 76 volunteers and half among them were injected with a vaccine in liquid form and the other half with a vaccine that came as soluble powder. The initial reports have shown that the vaccine is effective. No side effect has also been observed in the patients.

COVID 19 Vaccines around the World

There are various vaccines that are in various stages of trial and are developed by various countries. In India also, two vaccines are being tested – one developed by the Serum Institute of India and another by Bharat Biotech. The vaccine by the Oxford University is also being tested in the country apart from in the UK. But, none of these vaccines is successfully registered as of now and Russia is doing it first.

GAVI (Global Vaccine Alliance)

It was established in 2000 and it is an international organization bringing together public and private sectors with the shared goal of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the poor countries of the world. It brings together developing country and donor governments, WHO, UNICEF, World Bank, the vaccine industry in both industrialized and developing countries, research and technical agencies, civil society and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private philanthropists.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2020