Russian Sputnik 5 coronavirus vaccine said to be 91.4% effective, but Vladimir Putin has yet to get stuck
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has touted two coronavirus vaccines developed in his country as safe enough for his daughter, but has yet to try one himself.
The Sputnik V vaccine against COVID, which Putin said was the first one approved worldwide, has already been given to front line health care workers and several top-level officials not involved in the clinical trials, CNN reported. But that did not extend to their leader.
“The president cannot use an uncertified vaccine,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said during a call with reporters, according to CNN. “Mass vaccination has not started yet. And, of course, the head of state cannot take part in vaccination as a volunteer. It’s impossible.”
Sputnik V is still in its third round of clinical trials, but so far the shot is 92% effective when tested on 20 people, Russian authorities said earlier this month.
On Tuesday Sputnik V’s developers said initial testing showed it to be 91.4% effective, though publication in a peer-reviewed journal is still forthcoming, reported Bloomberg. Other developers, such as Pfizer and Moderna, have reported similar efficacy rates, though with larger clinical trials with more subjects, CNN pointed out.
Russia has the fifth-highest number of cases in the world, having passed 2 million as of last week, with 36,675 deaths as of Tuesday.
The country has said it plans to supply Sputnik V internationally for less than $20 per two-shot dose, Bloomberg said. Russian citizens will be vaccinated for free.
