Since then, only 15,000 people have been vaccinated, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. It means that, on average, each clinic inoculated about 15 people a day, a fraction of the at least 271,000 people from priority groups vaccinated in the U.S. in the first week.
The online registration forms for nine Moscow clinics reviewed by CNN showed plenty of free space, even when they signed up to get the shot the next day. At two clinics visited by CNN last week, there was no queue for the vaccine, and both institutions had only filled one space, with five people presented at noon.
One vial of Sputnik V contains five doses and takes half an hour to thaw, according to the vaccine instructions. Then, it cannot be put back in the freezer and should be discarded if not in use, so clinics intend to administer the vaccine to a group of five at a time, according to packaging instructions.
“When I received the shot, only two out of five people signed up [for that time slot] appeared, “Moscow-based journalist Nikita Sologub has tweeted.” The other three thawed vaccines had to be released. ”
The first shots of Sputnik V in Moscow were mainly assigned to health workers and teachers, but this list quickly expanded to cover other groups, including journalists and transportation workers.
Independent local media reports also suggest that virtually anyone could sign up for the vaccine if it meets health criteria, as apparently the paperwork controls for eligibility have been lax.
At this stage, Russia vaccinates mainly people aged 18 to 60 years without chronic health conditions. Last week, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko announced that all regions are “ready to accept.” [the vaccine] and vaccinate “.
Widespread distrust
Empty waiting rooms in Moscow clinics and wasted shots could be symptoms of a bigger problem Russia will have to face as the vaccination program expands across the country: widespread mistrust in the his vaccine.
Russia approved its first vaccine against Covid-19, Sputnik V, in August, after testing it on several dozen people in a high-profile studio on state television.
According to its officials at the Gamaleya National Center for Epidemiology and Biology, Sputnik V showed more than 90% efficacy in trials. But the data they provided was also questioned, and some critics said it could have been rushed in an effort to keep up with the announcements of other vaccine producers that were later in the phase 3 trials. , such as the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his government to launch a large-scale vaccine on December 2, hours after the UK authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, indicating that it would soon begin mass inoculation.
The name itself, Sputnik V, in honor of the first satellite launched by the Soviet Union, recalls the USSR’s first victory in the space race with the United States.
Vaccine skeptics pose a challenge to most governments that want to vaccinate most of their populations to control the coronavirus pandemic. In Russia, people who could convince the general public to just throw themselves are on board, with many health workers wary of the drug.
“At this stage, I am not ready to be vaccinated, as the Russian vaccine is not transparent and its effectiveness has not been proven,” said Viktoria Alexandrova, a general practitioner in St. Petersburg. “And all this because of this absurd political career over who will get the vaccine the fastest.
“So maybe in two years,” Alexandrova added.
Most of the Russian doctors and nurses CNN spoke to said they have concerns about the hasty registration process for vaccine use and would like to see more data before receiving the shot.
“I recently recovered from Covid-19, so I still have antibodies,” said Natalya Romanenko, a nurse in the Chelyabinsk region. “None of my teammates plan to get it now. Maybe I’ll get it later, but first we have to see how people behave about it.”
Scientists are still working to establish the amount of immune antibodies against the virus they can provide against reinfection. But Yulia Balovleva, a nurse in St. Petersburg, said she is “ready to take any vaccine” if that helps bring the pandemic closer.
A survey conducted in late October by the independent center Levada found that 59% of Russians surveyed do not want to be vaccinated if vaccination was free and voluntary, 4% more than the same survey conducted in August.
Another poll released by the ruling United Russia party in October found that 73% of those surveyed had no plans to get vaccinated, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. CNN has not independently reviewed these voting data, but recognition of United Russia’s public skepticism was surprising, given the government’s full push to promote the vaccine.
Breaking records
“What about the Russian coronavirus vaccine? Surprisingly, it’s Putin, the rest is more or less fine,” Leonid Volkov, chief of staff to opposition politician Alexey Navalny, said in a YouTube video. “He has the worst public relations campaign and the worst reputation among vaccines because of this insane race to grab the palm of victory.”
President Putin has repeatedly expressed support for Sputnik V, saying it has already proven its effectiveness.
“I think it is necessary [have mass vaccination]”Putin said during his annual press conference on Thursday.” And I repeat that our vaccine is effective and safe, so I see no reason not to vaccinate it. ”
But the 68-year-old president has not yet taken the vaccine himself. In statements on Thursday, Putin confirmed that he had not yet been inoculated with Sputnik V, because he is not advising people over 60.
There are exceptions to this rule. Sputnik V’s official Twitter account proudly announced that 74-year-old American film director Oliver Stone is in Russia shooting a documentary on climate change, has become “the first winner of an Oscar that is vaccinated against Sputnik V. ”
Aside from criticism of the lack of transparency and data on vaccine safety and effectiveness, some health workers are concerned about what an ambulance worker ironically called CNN a “mandatory voluntary vaccination.”
Russia’s public sector workers, often called “budzhetniki” or “budget workers”, as their salaries are paid from the state budget, are often found as a tool in the hands of the government seeking to increase the participation in a project, whether elections or a pro-government demonstration.
According to internal documents, shared with CNN by an independent union called the Alliance of Physicians, at least two Moscow hospitals have ordered vaccination of all their staff, with department heads forced to hold “explanatory” talks with their teams about the safety of doctors. vaccine.
The Moscow Department of Health said in a statement that all vaccines are given voluntarily and that the orders were only intended to “create the most comfortable conditions for [vaccination], as well as [underscore] the need for explanatory work “.
In a country where the health system is largely administered by the state and where the heads of state institutions have enormous authority, this kind of pressure is important.
The stakes are high: Russia is approaching 3 million registered cases as its mortality figures plummet, surpassing the records set during the spring outbreak. Since December 23, more than 52,000 people in Russia have officially died due to Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, with data on excess mortality from official sources suggesting that number could be up to three times superior.
To effectively vaccinate its population, Russia must inoculate between 60% and 70% of its 146 million people, according to the country’s health minister. And to do so, it would not only have to overcome the logistical challenges of delivering enough shots in its vast territory, but also by turning public opinion upside down.