Russian University Successfully Completes Human Clinical Trial Of World’s First COVID-19 Vaccine
Russia has become the first country in the world to complete the human trials of a new coronavirus vaccine.
On June 18, the country allowed clinical trials of two forms of a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology.
The first vaccine, in the form of a solution for intramuscular administration, was carried out at the Burdenko Military Hospital.
Another vaccine, in the form of a powder for the preparation of a solution for intramuscular administration, was carried out at Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University.
On Sunday, Chief researcher Elena Smolyarchuk, who heads the Center for Clinical Research on Medications at Sechenov University, told Russian news agency TASS that the human trials for the vaccine have been completed at the university and they will be discharged soon.
He said;
The research has been completed, and it proved that the vaccine is safe. The volunteers will be discharged on July 15 and July 20.
There was no other information on when this vaccine would enter commercial production.
According to the report, 20 people volunteered for the trials and after they were injected they were asked to quarantine in the hospital for 28 days.
Earlier, results of the COVID-19 vaccine tests performed on a group of volunteers in Russia showed that they were developing immunity to the coronavirus, but the name of drug was not discussed in the article.
The country also did not release information on when the vaccine would enter commercial production or distribution.
It is important to note that developing a vaccine against viruses or bacteria involves several phases of trials on both animals and humans.
Hence, on average, it takes a minimum of 10-12 months to make a vaccine available for the general public after it is developed in a lab.
In some extreme cases, it may also take 10-12 years also—depending on how better we understand the pathogen.
According to WHO, there are at least 21 vaccines currently under trial worldwide. Every country and every lab is taking a different approach to finding the right solution to stop the virus from taking over the world at this point.
Russia has reported 733,699 cases of the new SARS coronavirus. Some 11,439 people have died from complications caused by COVID-19, the disease caused by the new SARS.
