Health

Most Russian doctors would not administer Moscow's COVID-19 vaccine: poll

Salaam Times

An employee of a Russian biotech company works on a coronavirus vaccine in Saint Petersburg on May 20. [Olga Maltseva/AFP]

An employee of a Russian biotech company works on a coronavirus vaccine in Saint Petersburg on May 20. [Olga Maltseva/AFP]

MOSCOW -- More than half of doctors polled in Russia say they would not administer the Kremlin's much touted coronavirus vaccine, Russia's RBC reported earlier this month.

Of the 3,040 doctors polled, 52% said they would not administer "Sputnik V" to patients.

When asked to explain their lack of confidence in the vaccine, 66% cited insufficient data on its ineffectiveness, while 48% said it was impossible to create a successful vaccine so fast.

Grigory Berezkin, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, owns RBC. RIA, a Russian state-run media outlet, also published news of the unflattering poll.

Warnings from healthcare professionals

After the vaccine was announced to much fanfare on August 11, health scientists and medical analysts around the world sounded the alarm, with many suggesting the unproven, untested drug may be in fact more dangerous than COVID-19.

The state-run Gamaleya Institute, which produced the vaccine, came under fire after researchers and its director injected themselves with the prototype several months ago, with specialists criticising the move as an unorthodox and rushed way of starting human trials.

Observers have previously raised concerns that Russian researchers cut corners and came under pressure from authorities to deliver.

"The collateral damage from release of any vaccine that was less than safe and effective could exacerbate our current problems insurmountably," said Danny Altmann, an immunologist at Imperial College London.

Even Iran, which has one of the highest death tolls and numbers of infections related to COVID-19 in the world, expressed skepticism August 18 about the Kremlin's claims to have produced a safe coronavirus vaccine.

"In order for the vaccine to be used, genuine and independent organisations such as the World Health Organisation must comment on it and approve it, which has not happened yet," Alireza Zali, a member of the Iranian regime's anti-COVID-19 task force, told a news conference in Tehran.

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Scientists from various countries of the world should check the vaccine made in Russia, and all the countries must cooperate with Russia so that all the people of the world have access to it, because COVID 19 is a fatal virus, and it will take the lives of all the people of the world.

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Any new vaccine that is discovered creates doubts and uncertainty. The vaccine, made in Russia, should be checked to see whether the vaccine is really for the treatment of COVID 19 or not. In addition, its side effects should also be checked as, God forbid, it not causes any other problems, because if this vaccine cures the corona virus but creates another problem for the humans, then the vaccine will not be useful. Therefore, we should not make haste in the implementation of the Russian vaccine. The vaccine should be administered after further investigations.

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I think Russia wants to suffer people from the threat of death by their vaccine. Before that the vaccine comes to the market, it should be investigated whether it is really for corona-virus.

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