MOSCOW, July 29, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Russia said Wednesday that it
plans to begin production of two “promising” coronavirus vaccines in
September and October as Moscow races to develop a formula before
Western countries.
At a meeting chaired by President Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime
Minister Tatyana Golikova singled out two vaccines under development
by a research institute in Moscow and a lab in Siberia.
“Today there are two vaccines that are the most promising,” Golikova said.
Production of the first, which is being tested by the Moscow-based
Gamaleya institute and the defence ministry, is set for September,
Golikova said.
Another vaccine being developed by the Vektor State laboratory near
the Siberian city of Novosibirsk should be launched in October, she
added.
Russia, which has the world’s fourth-largest coronavirus caseload,
hopes to be the first country to produce a vaccine.
Scientists in the West have raised concerns about the speed of
development of Russian vaccines, suggesting that researchers might be
cutting corners after coming under pressure from the authorities to
deliver.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said it was important
to achieve a finished product in a “careful and balanced way.”
“One should be absolutely certain in a vaccine,” he said.
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund which is
financing the Gamaleya trials, said the country hoped to be the first
to approve a vaccine.
“It’s a Sputnik moment,” he told US broadcaster CNN, referring to
the launch in 1957 of the world’s first space satellite by Russia.
“Russia will have got there first,” Dmitriev forecast.
Russia has reported more than 828,000 coronavirus cases and 13,600
deaths so far.