When to wait for the covid-19 vaccine in Russia?

Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the Gamaley Center Denis Logunov, heading a group of developers of the first Russian vaccine from coronavirus, first spoke in detail about the progress of the tests and whether it was worth waiting for the mass production in 2020. The interview was published by Medusa.

According to Logunov, the development of the vaccine began in February 2020. It took 14 days to create it, since the scientists of the Center have been preparing a vaccine against the Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers) virus for three years. The resulting vaccine was investigated on several types of animals, including two species of monkeys. Now 76 people participate in clinical research, they conducted a “volunteer diary”, in which side effects were noted - fever, rash, redness at the injection site.

In September 2020, the vaccine may receive temporary registration, which will allow, for example, to vaccinate risk groups, Logunov says. After that, experts of the Ministry of Health will decide whether it is possible to release it on limited conditions into circulation. If the solution is positive, then scientists will conduct an expanded study within six months. Because of this, mass production will begin no earlier than the end of 2020.

Denis Logunov
Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the Hamalea Center

- In order to release this, production must be scalp. <...> By the end of this year, we must reach millions of vaccines a year. From three to five million doses per year. Our production will increase in three stages - equipment and consumables have already been ordered.

Logunov notes that the animals after vaccination are protected from coronavirus: "There is no reason to believe that the vaccine will not work." At the same time, he personally fears that the duration of the immunity obtained is now unknown.

In July, the First Deputy Minister of Defense Ruslan Tsalikov said that the first Russian vaccine from coronavirus is already ready. Moreover, it was not known earlier when it could be used massively. According to Bloomberg, the Russian elite gained access to the experimental vaccine from the Hamalea center back in April - the Ministry of Health replied that only volunteers were experiencing the vaccine.

"Paper" said that the St. Petersburg company "Biocad" is involved in the development of three vaccines from coronavirus, which WHO considers promising. The company hoped in July to move on to clinical trials of at least one development. Read the interview with the director of the scientific development of Biocad Anna Vladimirova about how scientists from different countries exchange research results and why work will not stop even when they create the first vaccine from coronavirus.

Actual news about the distribution of Covid-19 in the city read in the section "Papers" " Coronavirus in St. Petersburg ".