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Hello, everyone! Welcome to the new edition of <keyword id="9095853" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="insider-today">Insider Today</keyword>. Please <a href="https://www.insider.com/insider-today">sign up here</a>.<h2>QUOTE OF THE DAY</h2>"I know that it works quite effectively, forms strong immunity, and, I repeat, it has passed all the needed checks." — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-russia-has-coronavirus-vaccine-daughter-despite-concerns-development-2020-8">Russian President Vladimir Putin</a>, announcing that <keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword> has approved the Gamaleya vaccine against the coronavirus, even though it has not completed large-scale clinical trials.<h2>WHAT'S HAPPENING</h2><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/11/us/politics/ilhan-omar.html?action=click&amp;module=Top%20Stories&amp;pgtype=HomepageHomepage">Primaries today in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Georgia, among other states.</a> The two most interesting races: Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota faces a well funded primary challenger. And a QAnon supporter, Marjorie Taylor Greene, could win the Republican primary for a safe seat in Georgia. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/joe-biden-pressed-again-to-name-a-black-woman-as-his-running-mate/2020/08/10/d383d786-db2d-11ea-8051-d5f887d73381_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-banner-low_bidenveep-750p%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans">Jo</a><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/joe-biden-pressed-again-to-name-a-black-woman-as-his-running-mate/2020/08/10/d383d786-db2d-11ea-8051-d5f887d73381_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-banner-low_bidenveep-750p%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans">e Biden still hasn't named his running mate.</a> But he's expected to any day. He has said he's choosing a woman, and he's being urged to select a Black woman. <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/08/10/california-judge-uber-and-lyft-must-reclassify-drivers-1306848">Uber and Lyft must treat drivers as employees under California law.</a> A California state judge ruled against the gig economy giants, saying they have to stop treating drivers like independent contractors. Drivers would be entitled to minimum wage, unemployment insurance, and sick leave. Uber and Lyft will surely appeal the ruling, which takes effect in 10 days. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neck-fleece-worse-coronavirus-protection-duke-study-2020-8">Neck fleeces may be worse than no mask at all.</a> Researchers at Duke have ranked the effectiveness of 14 kinds of masks, and say multi-layer cotton masks are almost as good as N-95 masks. Bandanas, neck fleeces, and knit masks are bad.<h2>VIEWS OF THE DAY</h2><div type="image" title="Russian President Vladimir Putin applauds during the State Awards Ceremony at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, June,12,2019" height="512" width="1024" msid="77492523" hostid="261"></div>The early Russian vaccine is scary. Every day without a vaccine degrades and immiserates the world. Massive amounts of economic activity is lost and thousands of people die every pandemic day. Anything that can be done to stop the disease should be done as quickly as possible. So why criticize the Russians for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-russia-has-coronavirus-vaccine-daughter-despite-concerns-development-2020-8">approving an experimental vaccine</a> before widespread testing of its safety and efficacy? If Russia accelerates the distribution of a safe vaccine, the world will be better off, right? If it works perfectly, the Russian vaccine will be a blessing for the world. But if it doesn't, it could <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-coronavirus-vaccine-fauci-question-safety-2020-8">make it much harder for any nation</a> to develop and distribute an effective vaccine. The Russian vaccine may be fine, but Putin clearly sped up approval to get a public relations win. (The program is named Sputnik V, in a callback to the last time Russia won a scientific race.) There's <a href="https://www.publichealth.org/public-awareness/understanding-vaccines/vaccines-work/">an adage</a>: Vaccines don't work. Vaccinations work. It doesn't matter if a vaccine is effective if people won't take it. For us to stop COVID, we'll need widespread vaccination with a trusted and effective vaccine. If the Russian program goes awry, people around the world may rebel against any vaccine, even a great one. The Russian acceleration puts pressure on other vaccine trials to hurry up. It may encourage regulators in other countries — such as, ahem, at Trump's FDA — to shortcut safety testing to get a homegrown vaccine to market. If nothing goes wrong, great! But what if the Russian vaccine barely works, and outbreaks continue there? What if, even worse, the skimpily tested Russian vaccine causes horrid complications or deaths? What if the American programs, having sped up to match the Russians, produce shoddy vaccines? Vaccine skepticism is already rampant and growing in the US and worldwide. If the first COVID vaccines fail, public trust in <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> will collapse, vaccine adoption rates will plummet, and the pandemic will rage on longer. Even if there is a safe and effective vaccine, it wouldn't matter, because not enough people would trust it. So all of us should hope that the Russian vaccine is fantastic. — DP<div type="image" title="Trump" height="600" width="1200" msid="77492525" hostid="261"></div>The real reason Trump wants to bar citizens with COVID from entering the USRobert Frost, who knew something about neighbors and border fences, wrote that, "Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in." But maybe not, if the Trump administration gets its way. There's an<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/10/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-border.html?action=click&amp;module=Top%20Stories&amp;pgtype=HomepageHomepage"> incipient Trump proposal to ban American citizens</a> and permanent residents from entering the country if they have COVID.It's not that a president should never be allowed to bar citizens and permanent residents from reentry. You can imagine a truly urgent public health crisis — zombiefication! — where the president should ban citizens from returning.But as is depressingly familiar, Trump is stretching executive power here for no compelling reason. The virus is racing through the US unassisted, and there's no evidence that Americans toting the virus back from other countries are worsening the epidemic. Banning (or at least delaying) Americans from reentering the country won't improve the nation's health. So the proposed ban is a pretext. But for what? First, this is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hatemonger-jean-guerrero-interview-stephen-miller-white-nationalism-and-2020-8">a Stephen Miller special</a>. In his not-at-all subtle campaign to undermine non-whites living in the US, Miller seeks to stop all immigration and motion from Latin America. This measure is aimed at the American citizens and permanent residents who live lives straddling the southern border. If these Americans fear they won't be able to reenter the US if they go back and forth to Mexico to work or to see family, their lives will get worse; their fears will increase; the bonds between the US and Mexico will weaken; and the border will harden. Second, this move may help the administration shift discussion about the pandemic from government incompetence to immigration. That's a good reframing for Trump. "Protecting the border" delights Trump's base. It also signals that he's doing something about the virus, even though it actually won't limit the disease at all. Finally, it expands executive power. It manufactures a false emergency — false because these travelers aren't worsening the pandemic — to increase Trump's power and spread fear. And that is how fascism works. — DPIf you're enjoying this article, sign up <a href="https://www.insider.com/insider-today">here</a> for more daily insights from Henry Blodget and David Plotz delivered right into your inbox.<div type="image" title="Mark Meadows" height="1250" width="2500" msid="77492527" hostid="261"></div>The Tea Party is still ruining everythingIf you feel like recent salvo of negotiations for coronavirus aid are going more slowly (and stupidly) than the last ones, it's because they are. And according to the Washington Post, a lot of that is because of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/new-trump-chief-of-staff-drew-hard-line-during-relief-talks-challenging-democrats-approach/2020/08/10/28ea30a0-d9d3-11ea-b9b2-1ea733b97910_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-banner-main_viruddeal-445pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans">White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.</a>During the last round of talks in March, Democrats were mostly dealing with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who seems to be practical when it comes to propping up the economy during this escalating crisis. Now they're also dealing with one of the loudest voices of the Tea Party movement, and even in this precarious moment that voice is caterwauling about limiting federal spending.Meadows is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-ally-holds-fast-to-hardball-tactics-despite-shutdown-fallout/2019/01/30/34cff4a0-24d4-11e9-ad53-824486280311_story.html">a stunt queen</a>. He didn't spend his time in Congress building consensus, that's not what people like him do. Instead they cause scenes. For example, according to WaPo, Meadows held up a meeting with Democrats because he refused to surrender his phone like everyone else. (You know, to avoid those pesky leaks the White House is always dealing with). He said he had an important call and he needed to keep his phone with him to receive it. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that was unacceptable.Pelosi offered that perhaps an aide could hold his phone outside and alert him when the phone call occurred. Nope, Meadows wanted his aide in the meeting taking notes. Finally Mnuchin offered a Treasury aide to hold the phone and Meadows agreed. I feel like I write this <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-vice-presidential-pick-wont-matter-during-2020-campaign-2020-8">three times a week</a> about something going on in the Trump administration, but it always bears repeating: No one has time for these pointless shenanigans and vacuous stunts. Americans don't care. This is our money you're holding hostage, Mark. It belongs to the American public — us. And overwhelmingly Americans want aid like the extra $600 on unemployment checks to continue — <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/29/coronavirus-stimulus-voters-support-enhanced-unemployment-cnbcchange-poll-finds.html">even in your precious swing states</a>.Leave your petty dramas outside with your phone. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/linette-lopez">— Linette Lopez</a>Cuomo doesn't want an independent investigation into his COVID nursing home disaster. That's exactly why we need one.In the early days of the pandemic, on March 25, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered nursing homes to accept COVID-positive patients. More than 6,000 of them died, according to the state.However, <a href="https://buffalonews.com/news/cuomo-agency-report-cuomo-policy-not-to-blame-for-nursing-home-deaths/article_208e37ba-bfbd-11ea-bad2-e343863b6186.html">Cuomo's own administration released a report</a> in early July which said nursing home deaths were not a "significant factor" in New York's largest-in-the-nation death toll, and blamed nursing home employees for spreading the coronavirus. After the report's release, Cuomo scoffed at the idea nursing home deaths were preventable as "a political conspiracy," and "ugly <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword>." He blamed conservative-leaning <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> outlets like the New York Post for daring to tread on his "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-hero-andrew-cuomo-helped-create-new-york-disaster-2020-4">hero</a>" image, ignoring the fact that <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/05/12/calls-for-independent-probe-of-gov-cuomos-nursing-home-policies/">several prominent New York Democratic lawmakers have also called for independent investigations</a>. In a conference call yesterday <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/05/12/calls-for-independent-probe-of-gov-cuomos-nursing-home-policies/">Cuomo again shot down</a> the prospect of any more investigations, saying, "I think you'd have to be blind to think it's not political … Just look at where it comes from and look at the sources and look at their political affiliation and … look at what publications raise it and what media networks raise [it]. It's kind of incredible."But Cuomo can't reasonably lump the Associated Press — which reported that health experts believe the state's already-shocking toll of nursing home COVID deaths <a href="https://apnews.com/212ccd87924b6906053703a00514647f?utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_source=Twitter=Twitter">could be wildly undercounted</a> — into a basket of his conservative media enemies. If Cuomo wants to prove deserving of his "hero" narrative, then he should demand full transparency of his administration's coronavirus response. Denying that anything went exceptionally wrong — also denying that what went wrong could have been prevented — is an inherent contradiction. Hiding behind "politics" to avoid accountability is a cowardly insult to the public's intelligence. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/anthony-l-fisher">— Anthony Fisher</a><h2>BUSINESS &amp; ECONOMY</h2><div type="image" title="Steve Easterbrook" height="1250" width="2500" msid="77492530" hostid="261"></div><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-mcdonalds-year-of-ceo-scandals-corporate-challenges-2020-8">Inside McDonald's year of scandal.</a> Yesterday's lawsuit against its former CEO caps a horrible year at the fast-food giant's headquarters. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ceo-tim-cook-billionaire-2020-8">Apple CEO Tim Cook is finally a billionaire.</a> Here's why it took him so long.<h2>LIFE</h2><div type="image" title="5f3276d5191824435437a934" height="400" width="800" msid="77492540" hostid="261"></div><a href="https://www.insider.com/cardi-b-mocked-conservative-pundit-ben-shapiro-over-wap-lyrics-2020-8">So Cardi B and Ben Shapiro are feuding over her hit "WAP</a>." The conservative pundit read the lyrics on his show and tut-tutted her. She mocked him back. <a href="https://www.insider.com/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-covid-19-attendees-pack-bars-2020-8">The Sturgis motorcycle rally is huge, boisterous, and largely maskless. </a>Scenes from what may be the largest gathering in the US since the pandemic began.<h2>THE BIG 3*</h2><div type="image" title="Rita Ora" height="900" width="1800" msid="77492553" hostid="261"></div><a href="https://www.insider.com/rita-ora-race-blackfishing-twitter-realizes-parents-white-albanian-2020-8">Rita Ora is being accused of "blackfishing." </a>Many fans thought that Ora, both of whose parents are white Albanians, was black or mixed-race, and they're berating her for encouraging that confusion. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-senate-majority-leader-mitch-mcconnell-wants-in-next-stimulus-2020-8">What Mitch McConnell wants in the next relief bill.</a> Maybe nothing. Maybe $1 trillion. Definitely not the $3 trillion Democrats seek. And it's not clear that House Democrats, the White House, and Senate Republicans are even going to resume negotiations. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-spanish-flu-probably-ended-wwii-began-decades-later-2020-8">Trump says the 1918 Spanish Flu "probably ended" World War II,</a> which began in 1939. *The most popular stories on Insider today.

The Russian vaccine is terrifying

New Delhi, With the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approving <keyword id="95879" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Serum-Institute-of-India">Serum Institute of India</keyword>'s 'Covishield' vaccine and <keyword id="149108" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Biotech">Bharat Biotech</keyword>'s 'Covaxin' for emergency use, paving way for their roll-out and administration to millions, Russian <keyword id="9739267" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sputnik-V">Sputnik V</keyword> vaccine makers have said that they are working with <keyword id="6409874" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="astrazeneca">AstraZeneca</keyword> (AZ) to take the efficacy of AZ vaccine to over 90%. In a tweet, Sputnik V said: "As Indian regulator recommends for approval full-dose regimen of AstraZeneca's vaccine with efficacy of 62.1% based on phase 3 clinical data. Sputnik V is working on clinical trials with AZ to increase the efficacy of AZ vaccine to over 90%". AstraZeneca is currently working with the Russians on the combination of their vaccine's vector with that from Sputnik V (showing 91.4% efficacy as per Phase 3 final control point recorded last month), precisely to see if that could help boost its vaccine's efficacy to over 90% as well. While both vaccines use adenoviral vector technology, the AstraZeneca vaccine is based on a chimpanzee adenovirus (which is not the most popular technology among the vaccinated as recently conducted polls indicated that, given a choice, consumers prefer other technologies), the Sputnik V vaccine is based on a human adenovirus. Unlike AstraZeneca, which uses one and the same component for both inoculations, the Russian vaccine uses two different ones in two separate inoculations. Using the latter approach could prove more efficient in achieving a longer-lasting immune response. Covishield and Covaxin have to be administered in two doses and can be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius. The Drugs Controller General of India has also granted permission to <keyword id="63358" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cadila-Healthcare">Cadila healthcare</keyword> for phase 3 clinical trial in India. The vaccine will be first offered to one crore healthcare workers, along with two crore frontline and essential workers and 27 crore elderly, mostly above the age of 50 years with co-morbidities. India will produce about 300 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in 2021, Head of the <keyword id="1397612" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Russian-Direct-Investment-Fund">Russian Direct Investment Fund</keyword> (RDIF), Kirill Dmitriev, said in an interview with Rossiya 24 TV channel last month. "In India, we have agreements with four large manufacturers. India will produce about 300 million doses or more of the vaccine for us next year," Russian news agency Tass quoted him as saying. In September 2020, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories and RDIF entered into a partnership to conduct clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine and the rights for distribution of the first 100 million doses in India. Dr. Reddys and RDIF announced in December that they have commenced adaptive Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials for Sputnik V vaccine in India for Covid-19 after receiving the necessary clearance from the <keyword id="241784" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Central-Drugs-Laboratory">Central Drugs Laboratory</keyword>, Kasauli. On August 11, 2020, the Sputnik V vaccine developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology was registered by the Ministry of Health of Russia and became the world's first registered vaccine against Covid-19 based on the human adenoviral vector platform. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-beml-hcl-tech-infosys-tech-mahindra-tcs-ril-tata-motors-hero-moto-tvs-and-others/articleshow/80089765.cms">Top stocks to watch — BEML, HCL Tech, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, TCS, RIL, Tata Motors Hero Moto, TVS, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/checkout-upcoming-new-cars-in-year-2021/slidelist/80025993.cms">Upcoming new cars in India in 2021 of Maruti, Tata, MG, Audi</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/questions-arise-about-jack-ma-whereabouts-as-alibaba-faces-scrutiny-from-the-chinese-government/articleshow/80090457.cms">Where is Jack Ma? Questions arise about the billionaire’s whereabouts as Alibaba faces scrutiny from the Chinese government</a>

Russian vaccine makers are trying to push AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine's efficacy to beyond 90%

<ul><li>A senior expert of <keyword id="3169687" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-World-Health-Organization">the World Health Organization</keyword> (WHO) said that it is currently in conversation with <keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword> to get additional information about the <keyword id="8904563" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19-vaccine">COVID-19 vaccine</keyword> that Russia will start production soon.</li><li>Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that the country has registered the world's first registered vaccine against the novel coronavirus.</li><li>Later on Wednesday, Russian Health Minister <keyword id="3423101" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mikhail-murashko">Mikhail Murashko</keyword> 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.</li></ul> 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. <keyword id="2558533" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bruce-Aylward">Bruce Aylward</keyword>, 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, Xinhua news agency reported. 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. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/heres-how-indias-74th-independence-day-celebrations-will-take-place-this-year/slidelist/77523536.cms">Here’s how India’s 74th Independence Day celebrations will take place this year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/how-much-deloitte-kpmg-ey-and-pwc-accountants-and-consultants-make-from-entry-level-to-executive-roles/articleshow/77533447.cms">How much Deloitte, KPMG, EY, and PwC accountants and consultants make, from entry level to executive roles</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/a-dwarf-planet-between-mars-and-jupiter-has-a-salty-ocean-beneath-its-surface-making-it-a-contender-for-alien-life/articleshow/77495476.cms">A dwarf planet between Mars and Jupiter has a salty ocean beneath its surface, making it a contender for alien life</a>

WHO is talking to Russia to know more about their coronavirus vaccine

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword> offered to help the US secure its <keyword id="8624004" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus vaccine</keyword>, but the Americans turned it down, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/13/europe/russia-us-coronavirus-vaccine/index.html">CNN reported Thursday</a>.</li><li>Russia this week <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-russia-has-coronavirus-vaccine-daughter-despite-concerns-development-2020-8">became the first country</a> to approve a COVID-19 <keyword id="24209" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="vaccine">vaccine</keyword>, known as <keyword id="9739267" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sputnik-V">Sputnik V</keyword>.</li><li>But experts say the development was rushed, test data and methodologies are being kept secret, and truncated testing may have missed detrimental side effects.</li><li>Russian officials told CNN they offered the US help, and access to the Sputnik V vaccine, but were rebuffed.</li><li>One US public-health official told CNN: "There's no way in hell the US tries this [Russian vaccine] on monkeys, let alone people."</li><li>The US has contributed funding to several vaccine projects as part of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/operation-warp-speed-details-coronavirus-vaccine-timeline-pricing-2020-6">Operation Warp Speed</a>, a plan to have 300 million doses of a safe and effective vaccine available by January.</li></ul>Russia offered to lend a hand to US efforts to access or develop a <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> vaccine, but the Americans refused it, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/13/europe/russia-us-coronavirus-vaccine/index.html">according to a Thursday report by CNN</a>.Russia <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-russia-has-coronavirus-vaccine-daughter-despite-concerns-development-2020-8">announced on Tuesday</a> that it had approved its Sputnik V vaccine from the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute.Sputnik V's development has been shrouded in secrecy, and those working on it have been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-says-coronavirus-vaccine-ready-production-september-criticized-rushed-2020-8">criticized for taking shortcuts</a> to please the Kremlin, which wants to declare victory in the global COVID-19 vaccine race.The vaccine was approved before it went through phase 3 trials, which are deemed essential to ensuring the safety of a drug. Its early-trial results have also not undergone peer review, and the methodology and results are still a secret, as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-approves-coronavirus-vaccine-experts-say-needs-more-testing-2020-8">Business Insider's Susie Neilson has reported</a>.Nonetheless, President Vladimir Putin <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-russia-has-coronavirus-vaccine-daughter-despite-concerns-development-2020-8">said on Tuesday</a> that the vaccine "passed all the needed checks" and that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-kids-names-ages-secret-daughters-2018-6">one of his daughters</a> had been inoculated.Russian officials told CNN they offered the US access to the vaccine but found that the "US is not currently open" to the idea.<div type="image" title="Trump Fauci" height="1250" width="2500" msid="77543616" hostid="261"></div>"There is a general sense of mistrust of Russia on the American side, and we believe that technologies — including vaccine, testing, and treatments — are not being adopted in US because of that mistrust," an unnamed senior Russian official told CNN.On the other side, one US public-health official told CNN: "There's no way in hell the US tries this [Russian vaccine] on monkeys, let alone people."Scientists working on Sputnik V were also criticized by the medical community after they said they had injected themselves with the prototype to speed up the process.Russia's Association of Clinical Research Organizations <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-says-coronavirus-vaccine-ready-production-september-criticized-rushed-2020-8">said</a> the step was a "crude violation of the very foundations of clinical research, Russian law, and universally accepted international regulations."Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious-disease expert, also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fauci-seriously-doubts-russia-has-safe-effective-covid-19-vaccine-2020-8">expressed serious doubts this week</a> that the Russian vaccine was safe or effective.<div type="image" title="russia coronavirus vaccine" height="1208" width="2415" msid="77543619" hostid="261"></div>The US government <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-vaccine-timeline-what-to-watch-leading-research-2020-3">is working with and has contributed funding to several vaccine projects</a> as part of <keyword id="9233448" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="operation-warp-speed">Operation Warp Speed</keyword>, a private-public partnership intended to make 300 million doses of a safe and effective vaccine available by January. None of the funded projects have been formally approved yet."If we wanted to take the chance of hurting a lot of people or giving them something that doesn't work, we could start doing this, you know, next week if we wanted to," Fauci said.Jens Spahn, the German health minister, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/germany-warns-putin-russia-coronavirus-vaccine-has-not-been-fully-tested-2020-8">said on Wednesday</a> that he considered the Russian vaccine dangerous because it could cause the public to doubt even safe vaccines should problems emerge."I would be pleased if we had an initial, good vaccine, but based on everything we know — and that's the fundamental problem, namely that the Russians aren't telling us much — this has not been sufficiently tested," he said.A large number of pharmaceutical and healthcare companies in Russia <a href="https://www.rbc.ru/society/10/08/2020/5f3120959a79472536bda2db">have banded together to ask the health ministry</a> to delay the registration of the vaccine until phrase 3 trials are concluded.A score of countries, however, including the <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&amp;objectid=123565376537">Philippines</a> and <a href="https://tass.com/society/1189077">Venezuela</a>, have already agreed to partner with Russia to get access to Sputnik V.The <a href="https://tass.com/society/1169285">state-run TASS news agency said</a> Russia hoped to start mass producing Sputnik V by late August or early September."If our vaccine proves to be one of the most effective, questions will be asked why the US did not explore this option any deeper, why <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword> got in way of access to a vaccine," a senior Russian official told CNN.

Russia offered to help the US develop a coronavirus vaccine, but the Americans said no because they don't trust it, report says

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword> says it will start mass producing its leading <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> vaccine prototype in September.</li><li>The safety and efficacy of this vaccine has been heavily doubted, however, with its developers accused of rushing through safety trials to please the Kremlin, which is keen to win the global vaccine race.</li><li>The researchers said they trialed the vaccine on themselves to speed through human trials. A leading Russian scientific association called it a "crude violation of the very foundations of clinical research."</li><li>The Kremlin has portrayed Russia as a pandemic success story, despite accusations of fabricated data and a cover-up. President Vladimir Putin has also <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/06/14/putin-criticizes-us-coronavirus-response-says-protests-show-deep-seated-internal-crises-a70565">mocked</a> the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-coronavirus-crisis-us-response-criticism-2020-7">US response</a> to its outbreak.</li><li>A top Russian official likened the vaccine race to the Space Race during the Cold War, telling <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/28/europe/russia-coronavirus-vaccine-approval-intl/index.html">CNN</a>: "Americans were surprised when they heard Sputnik's beeping. It's the same with this vaccine. Russia will have got there first."</li></ul>Russia says it will start mass-producing its coronavirus vaccine next month, despite widespread reports that scientists rushed through tests and injected themselves with the prototype to speed up the process.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-vaccine-timeline-what-to-watch-leading-research-2020-3">More than 100 vaccines</a> are being developed around the world, but only four — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-vaccine-timeline-what-to-watch-leading-research-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">from Moderna, AstraZeneca, SinoVac, and Pfizer</a> — have entered phase-3 mass human trials, <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/draft-landscape-of-covid-19-candidate-vaccines">according to the World Health Organization</a> (WHO).Now Russia claims that a Russian vaccine will be first to hit the market and administered to a population. The WHO currently recognizes two Russian vaccine trials, but says they are both still in phase 2 trials."We are very much counting on starting mass production in September," Russian trade minister Denis Manturov <a href="https://tass.com/society/1185053">told the state-run TASS news agency</a> on Monday, referring to a vaccine developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology.Russia appears to see the global race for a coronavirus vaccine as a competition with the US, with the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund — which <a href="https://rdif.ru/Eng_COVID-19/">finances domestic vaccine projects</a> — likening it to the Space Race between the US and Soviet Union during the Cold War."Americans were surprised when they heard Sputnik's beeping. It's the same with this vaccine. Russia will have got there first," Kirill Dmitriev <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/28/europe/russia-coronavirus-vaccine-approval-intl/index.html">told CNN</a>.<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/02/world/europe/russia-trials-vaccine-October.html"><div type="image" title="Moderna coronavirus vaccine trial participant" height="1908" width="3817" msid="77352922" hostid="261"></div></a>However, the trial vaccine has drawn heavy skepticism from medical professionals both inside and outside Russia.Scientists working on the Gamaleya vaccine were criticized in late May after reporting that they had taken <a href="https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/68759/?sphrase_id=2105">the highly unusual step of injecting themselves with the trial vaccine</a> in an apparent attempt to speed up human trials.The center's director, Alexander Gintsburg, <a href="https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/68759/?sphrase_id=2105">told Russian state news agency Interfax</a> on May 22 that the vaccine appeared to work and that "everyone is safe and sound and happy."He also said that the researchers, including himself, had injected themselves with the prototype, not to use as a test, but "to protect themselves in order to be able to work on this development amid the pandemic."But Russia's Association of Clinical Research Organizations said the step was a "crude violation of the very foundations of clinical research, Russian law, and universally accepted international regulations," <a href="https://apnews.com/0fe4b369a157867d993d65299763fcb0">according to the Associated Press</a> (AP).<div type="image" title="MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JULY 7, 2020: Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with Maxim Akimov, Chairman of the Management Board of Russian Post, at the Moscow Kremlin. Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS (Photo by Alexei Nikolsky\TASS via Getty Images)" height="1861" width="3721" msid="77352927" hostid="261"></div>The association added that Gamaleya was rushing through "the crazy race" to find a vaccine "hoping to please those in power," the AP reported.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has also expressed concern about the pace of Russia's projects."I do hope that the ... Russians are actually testing the vaccine before they are administering the vaccine to anyone," Fauci said in a congressional meeting last week, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/02/world/europe/russia-trials-vaccine-October.html">according to The New York Times</a>.Inside Russia, state-run media and the Kremlin are peddling the narrative that Russia is pandemic success story, despite reports it is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-registered-60-per-cent-coronavirus-deaths-moscow-other-causes-2020-5">manipulating</a> or <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-russia-doctors-say-government-is-covering-up-cases-2020-3">covering up case statistics</a>, and denying medical <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/15/russia-health-workers-face-retaliation-speaking-out">staff sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE)</a>. President Vladimir Putin has also <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/06/14/putin-criticizes-us-coronavirus-response-says-protests-show-deep-seated-internal-crises-a70565">mocked</a> the US response to the coronavirus pandemic.<a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/draft-landscape-of-covid-19-candidate-vaccines"></a>Despite Russia's purported success at developing a vaccine, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/16/politics/russia-cyberattack-covid-vaccine-research/index.html">the US, UK, and Canada last month accused</a> Russia of being behind attempts to hack their top coronavirus research centers "to steal valuable intellectual property."<div type="image" title="vaccine" height="1694" width="3388" msid="77352934" hostid="261"></div>One other vaccine in Russia, which is monitored by the WHO, is also nearing approval, according to the government. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova <a href="https://tass.com/russia/1184939">said this week</a> that the Vektor State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology will start mass producing its vaccine in November.In late May, Russian health minister Mikhail Murashko had said the Vektor vaccine could be ready to go by the end of July.But experts have poured cold water on that claim since."Of course, you can create a prototype vaccine during such a brief period of time," Vitaly Zverev, head of the molecular technology department at the Mechnikov Research Institute of Vaccines in Moscow, <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/moscow-vaccine-claim-questioned-as-researchers-press-forward-in-race-against-coronavirus/30645856.html">told the Russian-language network Current Time</a>."But it is impossible to have it properly tested. Hence, it would be premature to say that a mass vaccination will be launched in July.""This cannot be tested in a few weeks or even months. It is impossible to complete this colossal amount of work in four months. Some things simply cannot be sped up."

Russia says it will start mass-producing its coronavirus vaccine next month — as scientists say developers rushed through tests and injected themselves to shorten human trials

The <keyword id="682334" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Drugs-Controller-General-of-India" source="Orion">Drugs Controller General of India</keyword> (DCGI) has granted permission for the conducting of the Phase III bridging trials of Sputnik Light on the Indian population. The Sputnik Light is a single-dose <keyword id="8904563" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="COVID-19-vaccine" source="Orion">Covid-19 vaccine</keyword> of the <keyword id="9340724" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Russian-vaccine" source="Orion">Russian vaccine</keyword> Sputnik. The nod comes after a recent study published in the medical journal The Lancet said that Sputnik Light showed 78.6 to 83.7 per cent efficacy against Covid-19, significantly higher than most two-shot vaccines. The Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in July had refused to grant emergency-use authorisation to Sputnik-Light, ruling out the need for the conduct of the <keyword id="9915130" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="phase-III-trial" source="Orion">phase III trial</keyword> of the Russian vaccine in the country. The committee had noted that Sputnik Light was the same as component-1 of <keyword id="9739267" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sputnik-V" source="Orion">Sputnik V</keyword> and its safety and immunogenicity data in the Indian population was already generated in a trial. The study was conducted on at least 40,000 elderly people in Argentina. Sputnik Light also reduced hospitalizations among the target population at 82.1-87.6 per cent, the study said. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) last year partnered with Dr Reddy's Laboratories to conduct the phase III trials of Sputnik V vaccine in India. In April, Sputnik V received an emergency use authorisation in India. Reddy's administered the first dose of the vaccine in Hyderabad under a limited pilot on May 14. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/ios-15-will-be-released-for-all-compatible-iphones-on-september-20/articleshow/86223330.cms">Everything you need to know about iOS 15: Release date, new features, supported devices</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/analysts-recommend-buying-zee-entertainment-on-end-to-concerns-over-corporate-governance/articleshow/86222841.cms">Zee Entertainment good to buy as concerns over corporate governance will be put to bed after management change, say analysts</a>

DCGI permits to conduct the third phase trials of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in India

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Yuri Gribkov, <keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword>'s consul general in <keyword id="110656" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="estonia">Estonia</keyword>, has admitted taking <keyword id="44612" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Pfizer">Pfizer</keyword>'s <keyword id="8624004" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus vaccine</keyword>.</li><li>He got his second shot three days before his term ended and was to return to Moscow.</li><li>Russia has for months sought to discredit Pfizer's vaccine and championed its homegrown Sputnik V.</li></ul>A top Russian diplomat has admitted getting the Pfizer vaccine, shunning the Sputnik V shot developed by his own country.Yuri Gribkov, who is Russia's consul general to Estonia, was confronted by <a href="https://epl.delfi.ee/artikkel/92397395/teolt-tabatud-korge-vene-diplomaat-sai-salaja-juba-teise-covid-i-vaktsiini-haigla-alustas-siseuurimist">a reporter from the Estonian news outlet Delfi on Wednesday</a> as he left a hospital in Ida-Viru, an Estonian town located 32 miles from the Russian border.Gribkov's term as consul general is due to end on Friday. He visited the hospital just after midday on Wednesday for what was his second shot of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine, Delfi reported. When confronted by the reporter, Gribkov confirmed that he had just received the second dose, according to <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/yuri-gribkov-top-kremlin-diplomat-says-nyet-to-russian-vaccine?ref=wrap">a video of the interaction</a> published by The Daily Beast, which worked with Delfi on the investigation."Pfizer?" the reporter is heard asking. "Yes," replied Gribkov. Russia approved the Sputnik V vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Research Institute, for emergency use in August 2020, and <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/latest-on-coronavirus-outbreak/russia-starts-mass-vaccination-against-coronavirus/2068380">began</a> inoculating citizens on December 7.The emergency-use approval came before the vaccine completed phase-3 trials, and many everyday Russians have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-coronavirus-vaccine-russians-split-2020-8">expressed doubt</a> over its efficacy.But Gribvok told The Daily Beast he didn't wait to get vaccinated until he was back in Russia because his physician in Estonia had diagnosed him with "very weak lungs.""The Russian embassy like other foreign embassies received a diplomatic note from the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a suggestion to have [diplomats] vaccinated," Gribkov said.<div type="image" title="sputnik v" height="1279" width="2559" msid="80585008" hostid="261"></div>Despite this, the footage will likely raise awkward questions for Gribkov upon his return to Russia, as Moscow has not approved any other vaccine. Insider has contacted Russia's Presidential Press Office for comment.Pro-Kremlin media have have for months sought to <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russians-spread-fake-news-over-oxford-coronavirus-vaccine-2nzpk8vrq">sully the reputation of non-Russian vaccines</a> like Pfizer's.The outlets are trying to create the image that "Russia fights the pandemic more effectively than Western democracies, boosting the credibility of a Russian vaccine and undermining that of other [Western] vaccines," <a href="https://euvsdisinfo.eu/six-real-sandworms-and-fake-monkey-vaccines/">according to the European Union-funded EUvsDisinfo campaign.</a>Several state-media outlets even labelled the Pfizer vaccine "the shot of death," EUvsDisinfo said.One of those was Tsargrad TV, owned by an oligarch ally of President Vladimir Putin, which on January 15 published eight articles that called the Pfizer vaccine the "shot of death," The Daily Beast said. Gribkov told The Daily Beast that he denied that Russian government officials had internally labelled the Pfizer shot as deadly."None of my colleagues, who I know for a long time, said that it is a 'shot of death,'" he said.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-covid19-vaccines-capitol-police-custodians-frontline-workers-waiting-2021-1">Vaccine inequity on Capitol Hill: Members of Congress got the shots but essential Hill workers are left waiting</a><div type="image" title="pfizer vaccine" height="1625" width="3250" msid="80585010" hostid="261"></div>Pfizer <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fauci-pfizer-vaccine-90-percent-efficacy-rate-extraordinary-2020-11">announced that its vaccine had 90% efficacy</a> on November 9, 2020. In an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/within-days-of-pfizer-results-russia-claims-sputnik-v-vaccine-demonstrates-92-efficacy/articleshow/79171485.cms">apparent attempt to steal the spotlight</a>, Russia's health ministry announced later that day that Sputnik V also had 90% efficacy.Pro-Kremlin disinformation networks have also sought to cast doubt on the efficacy of Pfizer's shot on social media, according to <a href="https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/azerbaijan/90950/pro-kremlin-disinformation-covid-19-vaccines_en">a December 2020 report</a> from the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan. The claims included that Pfizer used "fake clinical trials" and delayed news of its vaccine efficacy "to get rid of Trump." Former President Donald Trump has also made the latter claim, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-conspiracy-theory-delay-election-day-2020-11">accusing Pfizer</a> of deliberately withholding its vaccine trial results until until after Election Day.Russia has not approved Pfizer's vaccine, but the company is considering seeking approval, <a href="https://tass.com/economy/1244017">according to the state-run TASS news agency.</a>Russian state media have also worked to rubbish a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, calling it "<a href="https://cherwell.org/2020/10/27/russian-propaganda-claims-coronavirus-vaccine-will-turn-us-into-monkeys/">the monkey vaccine</a>" because it was widely tested on apes. "Western vaccine developers are openly mocked on multilingual Russian state-controlled media, which has in some cases led to absurd claims that vaccines will turn people into monkeys," Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-eu-russia/eus-borrell-accuses-russia-of-spreading-covid-19-disinformation-to-sell-its-vaccine-idUKKBN2921DP">wrote in a December blog post.</a>However, Russia announced in December that it was working with AstraZeneca to explore whether their two vaccines could be combined.That Gribkov was able to get two doses of a vaccine when the majority of Estonians haven't had their first shots has not gone down well at the Ida-Viru Central Hospital, which has launched an inquiry."I can't think of any regulations that would have allowed something like this to happen," Tarmo Bakler, the hospital's administrator, told The Daily Beast.

A top Russian diplomat was caught secretly getting the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, shunning his country's prized Sputnik V

<ul><li><keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword> has received pre-orders of a billion doses for their <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> vaccine from 20 countries. </li><li>The development came as Russian President Vladimir <keyword id="6355086" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Putin">Putin</keyword>, earlier on August 11, announced that his country has developed the first vaccine that works quite effectively" </li><li>He said that one of his daughters took part in the experiment and she was vaccinated against the coronavirus. </li></ul>Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko claims that 20 countries have pre-ordered a billion doses of their new coronavirus vaccine, <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1293136282823143425">reported AFP. </a> The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is investing in the production and promotion of the vaccine abroad The development came as Russian President Vladimir Putin, earlier on August 11, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/putin-announced-that-russia-approved-a-covid-19-vaccine-and-gave-it-to-his-daughter-despite-serious-concerns-over-its-safety/articleshow/77482429.cms">announced that his country has developed the first vaccine </a>that works quite effectively" and "forms a stable immunity" against <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword>. He further disclosed that one of his daughters has already been vaccinated. The vaccine was developed jointly by the Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian Defence Ministry. It has two separately-injected components that together are expected to build long-term immunity against the virus. The Russian vaccine against the coronavirus will begin production at two sites - the Gamaleya Research Institute and the company Binnopharm. Putin made the claim during a government meeting where he described it as "a very important step for the world". Putin thanked everyone who worked on the first-ever vaccine against the coronavirus and hoped that Russia will be able to start mass production of this medication in the near future. "I hope that our colleagues abroad will also move forward, and there will be quite a lot of products that can be used on the market, on the world market for medicines and vaccines," Putin was quoted as saying by the agency. Clinical trials of the vaccine kicked off on June 18 and included 38 volunteers. All of the participants developed an immunity. The first group was discharged on July 15, the second group on July 20. According to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University, coronavirus has infected more than 20 million people worldwide. There are six <keyword id="8904563" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19-vaccine">Covid-19 vaccine</keyword> candidates that have reached the Phase 3 level according to the WHO — three are from China and the other three include the ones developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, Moderna, and one jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/trump-was-rushed-from-the-briefing-room-by-secret-service-after-a-shooting-outside-of-the-white-house/articleshow/77474005.cms">Trump was rushed from the briefing room by Secret Service after a shooting outside the White House</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/mckinsey-facebook-amazon-nokia-and-some-other-companies-looking-for-a-product-manager-right-now/slidelist/77464438.cms">McKinsey, Facebook, Amazon, Nokia — and some other companies looking for a product manager right now</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/how-karan-bajaj-sold-his-less-than-18-month-old-startup-white-hat-jr-to-byjus/articleshow/77415329.cms">A WhatsApp message, six weeks of talks and a $300 million deal – how Karan Bajaj sold his less than 18-month old startup White Hat Jr to Byju’s</a>

Russia claims its new COVID-19 vaccine has pre-orders from 20 countries

<ul><li>Russia has signed up with four large manufacturers in India to produce 300 million doses of the <keyword id="9739267" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sputnik-V">Sputnik V</keyword> vaccine in 2021.</li><li>This triples the amount of the vaccine that Russia has initially contracted to be manufactured in India. </li><li>According to the Russian Embassy, the first samples of the COVID-19 vaccine produced in India are already being tested by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).</li></ul>Russia has signed on four large manufacturers to produce a whopping 300 million doses of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in India. This is a three-fold increase in the manufacturing of Sputnik V doses from before. "In India, we have agreements with four large manufacturers. ... India will produce about 300 mln doses or more of the vaccine for us next year," said Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) chief <a href="https://tass.com/world/1236777/amp">Kirill Dmitriev</a>. One of the manufacturers is Hetero Biopharma, which <a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/hetero-drugs-to-produce-over-100-million-doses-year-of-sputnik-v-vaccine-11606459369285.html">announced</a> its deal with the RDIF to make more than 100 million doses of the vaccine in November, earlier this year. Dmitriev did not disclose who the three new vendors are. It’s possible that Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories may be roped in since it is already conducting the clinical trials of Sputnik V in India and will also distribute doses, once approval comes in from the DCGA. So far, only three COVID-19 vaccines from Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and homegrown pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech, have sought approval for emergency use in the coming weeks. Sputnik V may not be in the running but according to the <a href="https://twitter.com/RusEmbIndia/status/1339813294647902208">Russian Embassy</a>, testing of the first samples of the vaccine that were produced in India is already underway. In trials done outside the country, the Russian vaccine has been found to be more than 91% effective. Like Oxford-AstraZeneca, Stupink V can survive at refrigerated temperatures of between two to five degrees Celsius, which gives it an edge over its competitors. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/fda-says-it-will-rapidly-work-toward-authorizing-modernas-covid-19-vaccine/articleshow/79789544.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">FDA says it will 'rapidly work toward' authorizing Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/facebook-and-google-have-been-accused-of-striking-a-secret-illegal-advertising-deal/articleshow/79778780.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Facebook and Google have been accused of striking a secret, illegal advertising deal</a>

India will produce 300 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine next year

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A Russian health official told citizens they shouldn't drink <keyword id="6359858" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="alcohol">alcohol</keyword> two weeks before and six weeks after getting the COVID-19 <keyword id="24209" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="vaccine">vaccine</keyword>.</li><li>There's no evidence suggesting any relationship between alcohol consumption and vaccine efficacy, although booze has been found to weaken the immune system.</li><li>An American expert said the Russian recommendation was too extreme and may deter people from getting the vaccine.</li></ul>Russians are outraged following a health official's warning that COVID-19 vaccine recipients should abstain from drinking alcohol in the weeks before and after their shots, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-russia-vaccine-alcoho/dont-mix-sputnik-vaccine-with-alcohol-says-russian-official-some-recoil-idUSKBN28J239">Reuters</a> reported Wednesday.Anna Popova, head of <keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword>'s consumer health watchdog, went on national radio Tuesday to tell citizens they should not imbibe for two weeks before their first injection of the Sputnik V vaccine. Vaccine recipients should stay sober for an additional six weeks after that to ensure a strong immune response, she added. There are 21 days between the two Sputnik shots."I reckon the stress on the body of giving up alcohol, especially during what is a festive period, would be worse than the (side effects of the) vaccine and its alleged benefits," Moscow resident Elena Kriven told Reuters.However, both Russian and American vaccine experts said Popova's advice was too extreme. Alexander Gintsburg, the developer of Russia's vaccine, <a href="https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1336636825805451266">tweeted from the Sputnik V account</a> that "one glass of champagne won't hurt anyone."In another <a href="https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1336636436519530496">tweet</a>, Gintsburg recommended abstaining from alcohol use three days before and after each injection of any vaccine, not just Sputnik.But William Moss, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins University, said there's no data to support such advice."There's no evidence that, if you have one beer or a glass of wine a couple days after you get your vaccine, that's going to interfere with your immune response or protection following the vaccine," Moss said. "When that point is stated in such an extreme way, I think it's actually damaging to public health."<h2>Excessive alcohol use can weaken your immune system</h2>Chronic and excessive alcohol use - eight or more drinks a week for women and 15 or more drinks a week for men, according to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/pdfs/excessive_alcohol_use.pdf">CDC</a> - can have <a href="https://www.insider.com/does-alcohol-weaken-the-immune-system">a number of deleterious effects</a> on the body, Moss said.Research has shown that<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4590612/"> drinking alcohol affects the gut microbiome</a> and may damage the immune cells that line the intestines, which serve as the first line of defense against viruses and bacteria. Another <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0741832914201868?via%3Dihub">study</a> found that binge drinking depletes the infection-fighting abilities of certain white blood cells in the hours after intoxication.Having a strong immune system is especially important during a pandemic, so it may be wise to cut back on alcohol for that reason. But there's not much, if any, research that specifically looked at interactions between vaccines and alcohol - likely because most vaccines are administered to children, Moss pointed out.<h2>We don't know much about the Russian vaccine's efficacy</h2>Russia <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-approves-coronavirus-vaccine-experts-say-needs-more-testing-2020-8">approved Sputnik V for public use</a> in August, but has yet to release any data from phase 3 trials that would determine the efficacy of the vaccine.The Sputnik V vaccine is an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/leading-us-coronavirus-vaccines-how-they-work-compare-2020-10">adenovirus vector vaccine</a>, which piggybacks a piece of the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> on an inactive version of a less harmful virus. AstraZeneca and Johnson &amp; Johnson's vaccine candidates use a similar technology.On November 11 - two days after Pfizer-BioNTech announced promising results of their vaccine trials - the Russian government announced in a <a href="https://sputnikvaccine.com/newsroom/pressreleases/the-first-interim-data-analysis-of-the-sputnik-v-vaccine-against-covid-19-phase-iii-clinical-trials-/">press release</a> that Sputnik V was 92% effective after the second dose. However, they have yet to release complete, peer-reviewed data from phase 1 and 2 trials, creating an air of secrecy around the vaccine.

Russians have been told not to drink for 2 months after getting the COVID-19 vaccine

Russia's National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund on Wednesday announced that the <keyword id="9739267" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sputnik-V">Sputnik V</keyword> vaccine, the world's first registered vaccine against coronavirus created on the well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, demonstrated high efficacy. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="79130097" title="Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is 90% effective in preventing coronavirus in those who haven’t been infected ever before, shows data from latest trials" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Currently Sputnik V Phase III clinical trials are approved and are undergoing in Belarus, the UAE, Venezuela and other countries, as well as Phase II-III in India. A separate detailed study of the vaccine's safety and immunogenicity for elderly people is also being conducted. The confirmation is based on the first interim data from the largest double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase III clinical trials in Russia involving 40,000 volunteers. The trials evaluated efficacy among over 16,000 volunteers who received the vaccine or placebo 21 days after the first injection. As a result of a statistical analysis of 20 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the case split between vaccinated individuals and those who received the placebo indicates that the Sputnik V vaccine had an efficacy rate of 92 per cent after the second dose. Separately, in September the vaccine was first administered to a group of volunteers from the "red zones" of the Russian hospitals. The observation of additional 10,000 vaccinated volunteers representing medics and other high-risk groups under the civil use of the vaccine out of clinical trials also confirmed the vaccine's efficacy rate of over 90 per cent. The data received will be published by Gamaleya Center researchers in one of the world's leading peer-reviewed medical academic journals following an independent valuation of the data by leading epidemiology experts. Following the completion of Phase III clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine, Gamaleya Center will provide access to the full clinical trial report. As of November 11, as part of the clinical trials in Russia's 29 medical centres, more than 20,000 volunteers were vaccinated with the first dose and over 16,000 volunteers with the first and the second dose of the vaccine. In addition, as of November 11, no unexpected adverse events were identified as part of the research. Some of those vaccinated had short-term minor adverse events such as pain at the injection site, flu-like syndrome, including fever, weakness, fatigue, and headache. During the clinical trials, the safety of the vaccine is constantly being monitored; information is analysed by the Independent Monitoring Committee comprising of leading Russian scientists. Collection, quality control and data processing is conducted in line with the ICH GCP standards and involves active participation of Moscow's Health Department and Crocus Medical, the contract research organization (CRO). Observation of the study participants will continue for six months after which the final report will be presented. The research data will be provided by RDIF to the national regulators of countries interested in purchasing the Russian vaccine in order to streamline the registration process. Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Health of the Russian Federation said that the use of the vaccine and the results of clinical trials demonstrate that it is an efficient solution to stop the spread of the coronavirus infection, a preventive healthcare tool, and this is the most successful path to defeat the pandemic. Alexander Gintsburg, Gamaleya Center Director: "The publication of the interim results of the post-registration clinical trials that convincingly demonstrate Sputnik V vaccine's efficacy gives way to mass vaccination in Russia against Covid-19 in the coming weeks. Thanks to the production scale up at new manufacturing sites, Sputnik V vaccine will soon be available for a wider population. This will break the current trend and lead to an eventual decrease in Covid-19 infection rates, first in Russia, then globally." Denis Logunov, Gamaleya Center Deputy Director said that positive interim results of Phase III give reasons to expect a successful outcome of Sputnik V clinical trials. "We will continue to process and analyse all the data and look to the future with optimism, expecting that results of our work will help end the pandemic sooner." Kirill Dmitriev, CEO, Russian Direct Investment Fund: "Sputnik V is the first registered vaccine against Covid-19 in the world, the vaccine is based on a safe and effective platform of human adenoviral vectors. More and more countries are recognising the human adenoviral vector platform and plan to include these vaccines, as the most studied and known, in their respective national vaccine portfolio. I would also like to stress the importance of international cooperation and close partnership among vaccine-developing states." He added, "Vaccines should be above politics. The world needs a diversified portfolio of high-quality vaccines with Sputnik V, based on the well-tested human adenoviral vector platform, being an important element of it." The safety of vaccines based on human adenoviruses was confirmed in more than 75 international publications and more than 250 clinical trials conducted during the past two decades (while the history of use of human adenoviruses in vaccine development started in 1953). Adenovirus vectors are genetically modified viruses of the regular flu that cannot reproduce in a human body. When Sputnik V vaccine is used, the coronavirus itself does not enter the body as the vaccine only contains genetic information about part of its outer protein coat, the so-called "spikes" forming its crown. This completely eliminates the possibility of getting infected as a result of vaccination while also causing the body's stable immune response. On September 4, The Lancet, one of world's leading medical journals, published a research paper on the results of Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of the vaccine that showed no serious adverse events and an effective immune response of those vaccinated. Requests for more than 1.2 billion doses of Sputnik V vaccine came from over 50 countries. The vaccine supplies for the global market will be produced by RDIF's international partners in India, Brazil, China, South Korea and other countries. The existing RDIF contracts with international partners enable the production of 500 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine outside Russia annually. RDIF is now considering additional requests from a number of countries and companies to further increase its foreign production capacities. On August 11, the Sputnik V vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Center was registered by Russia's Health Ministry and became the world's first registered vaccine against Covid-19. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/checkout-here-bihar-assembly-election-2020-results-and-updates-online/articleshow/79142084.cms">Bihar Election Results 2020: Final tally puts NDA in the majority with 125 seats as RJD remains the single largest party</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/psu-bank-employees-wage-revision-finalised-after-three-years-of-waiting-only-a-1500-increase-in-salary-for-officers/articleshow/79166497.cms">PSU bank employees wage revision finalised after three years of waiting — only a ₹1,500 increase in salary for officers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/instagram-down-users-complain-of-frozen-timelines-and-likes/articleshow/79146012.cms">Instagram down for nearly 24 hours— users continue to complain about frozen timelines and likes</a>

You Searched For "Russian vaccine" and got 11 results

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