Putin’s contempt vaccine is now a favorite in the fight against pandemics

Photographer: Jorge Bernal / AFP / Getty Images

Announcement by President Vladimir Putin in August that Russia had removed the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine for use even before completing safety trials that sparked skepticism around the world. It can now reap diplomatic dividends while Russia relies on its greatest scientific advancement since the Soviet era.

Countries are scheduled to get Sputnik V after peer-reviewed results published this week in the medical journal The Lancet show that the Russian vaccine protects against the deadly virus against both American and European traits, and with much more effective than Chinese rivals.

At least 19 countries have approved inoculation for use, including European Union member states, Hungary, while key markets such as Brazil and India are close to authorizing it. Russia is now looking at the prized EU market as the bloc struggles with its vaccination program amid supply shortages.

In the global battle to defeat a pandemic that caused 2.3 million lives in just over a year, the race for vaccines has had geopolitical significance as governments try to get out of the huge social and economic damage caused by blockages imposed to limit the spread of the virus. This gives Russia an advantage as one of the few countries where scientists have produced an effective defense.

His decision to name Sputnik V after the world’s first satellite on the 1957 launch gave the Soviet Union an impressive victory over the United States to start the space race only underscored the scale of importance that Moscow went grant to achievement. The results of the final phase trials of 20,000 participants reviewed in The Lancet showed that the vaccine has a success rate of 91.6%.

“This is a turning point for us,” Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the State Direct Investment Fund, who supported the development of Sputnik V and is in charge of its deployment, said in an interview. international.

Putin’s promise

More than 30 countries agreed to buy or produce Sputnik V.

Source: Public announcement of officials from Russia and other countries

While it is too early to assess Putin’s political gains, Russia is already causing much of the vaccine’s impact on its image after years of international condemnation for electoral meddling and the presence of national political opponents. and foreigners. State television reports extensively on deliveries to other nations.

Sputnik’s success will not change hostility toward Putin among Western governments, although it could strengthen Russia’s geopolitical influence in regions like Latin America, according to Oksana Antonenko, director of consulting firm Control Risks.

“With this vaccine, it has been shown to be able to produce something new that is in demand all over the world,” he said.

Production constraints are the biggest challenge facing all manufacturers, as global demand far exceeds supply. Russia, which pledged to make free shots for its 146 million people, began coming out last year and the vaccine is currently being manufactured in countries such as India, South Korea and Brazil.

This week a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emerged an agreement to produce Sputnik V in Turkey, even though the nation has offers to buy 50 million doses of the CoronaVac vaccine from Sinovac Biotech Ltd. from China and 4.5 million doses of the shot from Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE.

Despite Russia’s success, domestic demand remains lukewarm so far, driven by public suspicion from authorities. Putin, 68, fueled skepticism in December when he said he waited for the inoculation until people his age cleaned it up.

He has not yet said whether he has been vaccinated, but other nations do not expect to know. The day after announcing he had hired Covid-19, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Jan. 25 that he had thanked a “genuinely affectionate” Putin for committing 24 million doses of Sputnik V in the coming two months. Three days later, Bolivian President Luis Arce personally delivered a batch to La Paz airport.

Latin America is proving fertile territory. Argentina, which has struggled to obtain vaccine supplies, began its mass inoculation program after receiving more than half a million doses of Sputnik V in January. Nicaragua, Paraguay and Venezuela have joined. In Brazil, the region’s largest market, a decision announced Feb. 3 to dismiss the requirement for phase three trials for emergency use may speed up approval.

Guinea became the first African nation to start dispensing Sputnik V in December with President Alpha Conde, a friend of Moscow, and several ministers taking the vaccine. It expects to receive 1.6 million doses this year and is also in talks about acquiring Chinese vaccines, along with the shooting of AstraZeneca Plc. Zimbabwe, the Central African Republic and Côte d’Ivoire are among other potential customers for Russia.

“We are not in a position to say no to any vaccine. We have opted for the Pfizer vaccine, but we are also looking at other vaccines, “said Professor Joseph Benie, head of the National Institute of Public Hygiene in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.” It is now urgent to start inoculating. “

Unlike the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, Sputnik V can be stored in a refrigerator instead of a freezer, making it easier to transport and distribute to the poorest and hottest countries. At around $ 20 for a two-shot vaccine, it’s also cheaper than most Western alternatives. Although more expensive than AstraZeneca, Russian inoculation has been superior efficacy than the UK vaccine.

For some nations like Iran, he received the First batch of promised 2 million doses this week, Russia offers a nicer policy alternative than Western suppliers. But Russia is also affecting countries such as the United Arab Emirates, which is traditionally close to the United States and has approved the use of Sputnik V.

China, whose inoculations are as low as 50% in the case of Sinovac Biotech, maintains an advantage in Asia. Only a handful of countries have opted for Sputnik V, including the Philippines, which is in talks for 25 million doses.

It is now possible for Chinese developers to join Russia. The RDIF signed a preliminary agreement to test a combined shooting regimen of Sputnik V and CanSino Biologics of China to increase effectiveness against Covid-19, people with knowledge of the issue said Friday.