Russian President Vladimir Putin says a coronavirus vaccine developed in the country has been registered for use and one of his daughters has already been inoculated.
Mr Putin emphasised that the vaccine underwent the necessary tests and has proven efficient, offering a lasting immunity from coronavirus.
However, scientists have been sounding the alarm that the rush to start using the vaccine before Phase 3 trials — which normally last for months and involve thousands of people — could backfire.
Speaking at a government meeting, Mr Putin emphasised that the vaccine has undergone proper testing and proven safe to use.
He said: “I would like to repeat that it has passed all the necessary tests. The most important thing is to ensure full safety of using the vaccine and its efficiency.”
Daughters
The Russian leader added that one of his two daughters has received two shots of the vaccine and is feeling well. “She has taken part in the experiment,” Mr Putin said.
Mr Putin said his daughter had a temperature of 38C on the day of the first vaccine injection, and then it dropped to just over 37C on the following day. After the second shot she again had a slight increase in temperature, but then it was all over.
“She’s feeling well and has high number of antibodies,” Mr Putin added. He did not specify which of his two daughters — Maria or Katerina — received the vaccine.
Russian authorities have said that medical workers, teachers and other risk groups will be the first to be inoculated.
Mr Putin emphasised that the vaccination will be voluntary.
Mass vaccination
Russian officials have said that large-scale production of the vaccine will start in September, and mass vaccination may begin as early as October.
The World Health Organisation said all vaccine candidates should go through full stages of testing before being rolled out.
Experts have warned that vaccines that are not properly tested can cause harm in many ways – from a negative impact on health to creating a false sense of security or undermining trust in vaccinations.
Related: Graduate jobs drop by 60.3% since last year
Since you are here
Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.
Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.
Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.
If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.
To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.
The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.
The shop can be found here.
You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .