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If Russian President Vladimir Putin has found an effective COVID-19 vaccine, then data showing its safety and effectiveness should be released, the GAVI chief said, according to the Vaccine Alliance.
In an exclusive and extensive interview with Newsweek InternationalDr Seth Berkley said he had yet to see efficacy data showing President Putin had a safe vaccine.
He said, “We do not have public and published information on the efficacy or safety of this product.
“There may be data that we don’t know, but in general what is very important is that vaccines go through a well-oiled and recognized process for evaluation and safety and ultimately the record.
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“From what I understand from the media, they [Russia] are starting an efficacy trial now, so it has not been tested for efficacy and normally that would not allow a strict regulator to approve it.
“If there is efficacy data that we don’t know, we would like to see it.”
GAVI is a public-private partnership for global health that aims to increase access to immunization in poor countries, with the Gates Foundation being the organization’s biggest backer, donating $ 4.1 million since its creation in 2000.
President Putin announced last week that a locally developed vaccine against the COVID-19 virus, which has killed more than 770,000 people worldwide, had received regulatory approval.
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The Russian president claimed that the vaccine had gone through all the necessary safety checks and that this own girl had received it.
He said, “After the first injection his temperature was 38 degrees, the next day 37.5, and that was it. After the second injection, his temperature rose slightly, then returned to normal.”
Putin hailed the development of the vaccine, which was named Sputnik-V, as a world first.
Dr Berkley’s comments come after the World Health Organization (WHO) also called on Russia not to cut corners and follow international guidelines for vaccine production.
Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said the vaccine had “been shown to be highly effective and safe”, calling it a big step towards “humanity’s victory” over the pandemic.
Developed by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow, no public data has been published on the safety or immunity conferred by the vaccine, making it difficult for scientists to verify its effectiveness.
Governments around the world see a vaccine as the most effective way to beat the virus, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson describing the search for a vaccine as “the most urgent joint effort of our lives”, signing four separate agreements with companies.
In the United States, President Trump has advocated an “America First” approach to the vaccine.
Dr Berkley called on countries to put aside personal interests and work together to find a global solution to what he said is a global problem.
You can read the full Newsweek interview with Dr Berkley here.
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