Russia becomes first country to register Covid-19 vaccine - Putin
NOVO-OGARYOVO, Moscow region. Aug 11 (Interfax) - Russia has registered the world's first Covid-19 vaccine, which forms stable immunity, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"As far as I know, the world's first vaccine for the novel coronavirus infection was registered this morning," Putin said at a meeting with government members.
He asked Health Minister Mikhail Murashko to provide more details about the vaccine, saying, "Though I know that it's quite efficient and forms stable immunity. And I'd like to repeat that it has passed all necessary tests."
Following Murashko's report, Putin again asked whether any other Covid-19 vaccines have been registered in the world, drawing attention to Murashko's words that Russia's vaccine is one of the world's first such vaccines.
"Chinese colleagues have such developments, which are at the registration stage, subject to conditions; there are also some in other countries, but clinical trials are still in progress there. As a matter of fact, Russia has issued the first such full-fledged registration certificate," Murashko said.
In response, Putin said that "hopefully, our foreign colleagues' work will progress further, on the market. The global market for medications and vaccines will have quite a large number of products that can be used."
Putin said that one of his daughters has been inoculated with the Russian coronavirus vaccine and is feeling well.
"I know that this vaccine [the world's first registered coronavirus vaccine], as you've said, was made on the basis of adenoviral vectors, but in my opinion, its advantage is that it's been made based precisely on human adenoviral vectors, and it works more precisely and produces durable antibody and cellular immunity. I also know this very well, as one of my daughters has received such a vaccine. I think she's been involved in an experiment, in this sense," he said.
Putin said that his daughter had a body temperature of some 38 degrees Celsius soon after the first injection and a little over 37 degrees the next day.
"And that's all. After the second injection, the second inoculation, her body temperature also rose a little, but then everything was gone. She's feeling well, and the titers are high," he said.
Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya Research Center, said he is not aware of how Putin's daughter came to be vaccinated against coronavirus, presuming that she might have acted as a volunteer.
"Perhaps she was a volunteer; I didn't check passports. I don't know all the volunteers by sight. I'm not the one who should be asked this question. I'm hearing this for the first time from you," Gintsburg told Interfax on Tuesday.