Russia First to Approve COVID-19 Vaccine, Others Not so Sure
2020-08-12
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1Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Tuesday that Russia has become the first country to approve a vaccine for COVID-19.
2But some scientists question whether its quick approval without testing a large group of people will lead to a safe vaccine.
3Speaking at a government meeting, Putin said that the vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, has completed the necessary tests and is safe.
4"I know that it works quite effectively, forms strong immunity, and I repeat, it has passed all the needed checks," said Putin.
5"We must be grateful to those who made that first step very important for our country and the entire world."
6The Russian leader noted that one of his two adult daughters has received two shots of the vaccine.
7"She has taken part in the experiment," Putin said.
8Kirill Dmitriev is head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
9He likened the development to a "Sputnik moment."
10Sputnik 1 is the name of the world's first satellite.
11It was launched in 1957 when Russia was part of the Soviet Union.
12Dmitriev said the new COVID-19 vaccine will be named "Sputnik V."
13He said Russia had already received foreign requests for one billion doses.
14Russian state media also praised the scientists working on the vaccine and described the work as the envy of other nations.
15The Russian Health Ministry said in a statement that the vaccine is expected to provide immunity from the coronavirus for up to two years.
16Officials added that medical workers, teachers and individuals in other high-risk groups will be the first to receive the shots.
17The Russian announcement came less than two months after the start of human testing of the vaccine.
18And the vaccine has yet to complete Phase 3 trials - when a new drug is tested against the effectiveness of other treatments.
19Other COVID-19 vaccine candidates have been given to volunteers in Phase 3 trials in Britain and the United States.
20Those vaccines have been developed by the University of Oxford and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).
21Each trial will last for several months and include up to 30,000 people.
22Alexander Gintsburg is head of the Gamaleya Institute.
23He said that the Russian vaccine program will start while Phase 3 trials continue.
24He told the Interfax agency that, at first, there will be only enough shots for some parts of the country.
25The Association of Clinical Trials Organizations (ACTO) represents the world's top drug makers in Russia.
26Earlier this week, it urged the health ministry to postpone approval until final testing is successfully completed.
27Some international experts have questioned the speed at which Russia approved its vaccine.
28Michael Head is a doctor and an expert in Global Health at the University of Southampton.
29He said, "It is unclear precisely what is actually happening with the Russian vaccine... At this point in time, there is no data on the Russian-led vaccine for the global health community to scrutinize."
30"Normally you need a large number of people to be tested before you approve a vaccine," said Peter Kremsner from the University Hospital in Tuebingen.
31"In that respect, I think it's reckless to do that (approve it) if lots of people haven't already been tested."
32Duncan Matthews is with Queen Mary University of London.
33He said news of a possible COVID-19 vaccine was to be welcomed, "but safety must be the priority."
34The World Health Organization says more than 100 possible vaccines are being developed to protect against COVID-19.
35But only six possible vaccines are currently in Phase 3 trials.
36Last month, the United States, Britain and Canada accused Russia of trying to steal Western research into coronavirus vaccines and treatments.
37In a joint statement, the three governments identified the Russian group Cozy Bear as responsible for the attacks.
38I'm Jonathan Evans.
1Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Tuesday that Russia has become the first country to approve a vaccine for COVID-19. But some scientists question whether its quick approval without testing a large group of people will lead to a safe vaccine. 2Speaking at a government meeting, Putin said that the vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, has completed the necessary tests and is safe. 3"I know that it works quite effectively, forms strong immunity, and I repeat, it has passed all the needed checks," said Putin. "We must be grateful to those who made that first step very important for our country and the entire world." 4The Russian leader noted that one of his two adult daughters has received two shots of the vaccine. "She has taken part in the experiment," Putin said. 5Kirill Dmitriev is head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. He likened the development to a "Sputnik moment." Sputnik 1 is the name of the world's first satellite. It was launched in 1957 when Russia was part of the Soviet Union. 6Dmitriev said the new COVID-19 vaccine will be named "Sputnik V." He said Russia had already received foreign requests for one billion doses. Russian state media also praised the scientists working on the vaccine and described the work as the envy of other nations. 7The Russian Health Ministry said in a statement that the vaccine is expected to provide immunity from the coronavirus for up to two years. Officials added that medical workers, teachers and individuals in other high-risk groups will be the first to receive the shots. 8Phase 3 trials 9The Russian announcement came less than two months after the start of human testing of the vaccine. And the vaccine has yet to complete Phase 3 trials - when a new drug is tested against the effectiveness of other treatments. 10Other COVID-19 vaccine candidates have been given to volunteers in Phase 3 trials in Britain and the United States. Those vaccines have been developed by the University of Oxford and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Each trial will last for several months and include up to 30,000 people. 11Alexander Gintsburg is head of the Gamaleya Institute. He said that the Russian vaccine program will start while Phase 3 trials continue. He told the Interfax agency that, at first, there will be only enough shots for some parts of the country. 12The Association of Clinical Trials Organizations (ACTO) represents the world's top drug makers in Russia. Earlier this week, it urged the health ministry to postpone approval until final testing is successfully completed. 13Some international experts have questioned the speed at which Russia approved its vaccine. 14Michael Head is a doctor and an expert in Global Health at the University of Southampton. He said, "It is unclear precisely what is actually happening with the Russian vaccine... At this point in time, there is no data on the Russian-led vaccine for the global health community to scrutinize." 15"Normally you need a large number of people to be tested before you approve a vaccine," said Peter Kremsner from the University Hospital in Tuebingen. "In that respect, I think it's reckless to do that (approve it) if lots of people haven't already been tested." 16Duncan Matthews is with Queen Mary University of London. He said news of a possible COVID-19 vaccine was to be welcomed, "but safety must be the priority." 17The World Health Organization says more than 100 possible vaccines are being developed to protect against COVID-19. But only six possible vaccines are currently in Phase 3 trials. 18Last month, the United States, Britain and Canada accused Russia of trying to steal Western research into coronavirus vaccines and treatments. In a joint statement, the three governments identified the Russian group Cozy Bear as responsible for the attacks. 19I'm Jonathan Evans. 20Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English with information from the Associated Press, Reuters, WHO and Science Media Center. George Grow was the editor. 21_______________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23immunity - n. the power to keep yourself from being affected by a disease 24check - n. the process of examining something to see if there is anything wrong 25grateful - adj. showing thanks 26dose - n. the amount of medicine 27the envy of - phrase, something that causes someone to want it 28scrutinize - v. to examine carefully and critically 29reckless - adj. not showing proper concern about the possible bad results of your actions 30priority - n. something that is more important than other things and need to be dealt with first