Russia Produces First Batch Of Coronavirus Vaccine Sputnik V Even As Experts Warn Of Consequences

As per Russia's Health Ministry, Sputnik V - the first vaccine for Coronavirus to go into production, will be rolled out by the end of this month.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Image: AFP)

Moscow: In what comes as sigh of both relief and concern, Russia has reportedly started production of the first batch of its newly registered Covid-19 vaccine - Sputnik V, a Russian news agency reported hours after country's Health Ministry reported the start of manufacturing. However, what raises eyebrows is the fact that some scientists have expressed concerns over the fast regulatory approval by Moscow and said that the Russian government is putting national prestige over safety amid the global race to develop vaccine against the deadly virus. As per Russia's Health Ministry, Sputnik V - the first vaccine for Coronavirus to go into production, will be rolled out by the end of this month. Meanwhile, a senior expert of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that it is currently in conversation with Russia to get additional information about the Covid-19 vaccine that Russia will start production soon. Dr. Bruce Aylward, senior adviser to WHO's director-general, told a press conference on Thursday that WHO does not have sufficient information at this point to make a judgment on the Russian vaccine. He told reporters that with the coordination of WHO, there are altogether nine vaccine candidates that are going through Phase 2 or 3 trials, but the Russian vaccine is not one of them. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that the country has registered the world's first registered vaccine against the novel coronavirus. Later on Wednesday, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said that the country will start the production of the vaccine within two weeks. Murashko also said that doubts about the effectiveness of the vaccine are unfounded. While Russia has claimed that the vaccine has passed "all the necessary inspections", the country has faced criticism from several quarters for rushing the vaccine development process and for not involving a large number of people in the trial before declaring it safe. Meanwhile, a top respiratory doctor quit the Russian Health Ministry's ethics council after the country decided to go ahead with the registration of a Covid-19 vaccine even before conducting a crucial Phase 3 trial. It appears that Professor Alexander Chuchalin wanted to block the registration of the vaccine on "safety" grounds, before quitting the ethics council, a report by MailOnline stated. The news of the registration of the world's first Covid-19 vaccine came at a time when over 20 million people worldwide have tested positive for the disease which has so far caused over 736,000 deaths.