Russia to approve a COVID-19 vaccine by mid-August 2020.

Russian officials claim they are working toward August 10 or earlier for approval of the vaccine. The WHO has not yet approved the vaccine.

Russian officials claim they are working toward August 10 or earlier for approval of the vaccine. The WHO has not yet approved the vaccine. The vaccine developed by Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute would be approved for public use, with frontline healthcare workers getting it first, by August 10, as claimed by the Russian officials. Russia intends to be the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine in less than two weeks - despite concerns about its safety, efficacy. There are also concerns about whether the country has cut essential corners in development. As of July 29, Russia has not released any scientific data on its vaccine testing and development. The vaccine is to be widely used in parallel with Phase 3 trials, Interfax quoted Health Minister Mikhail Murashko. He said the country plans to vaccinate medics at high-risk for COVID-19 next month before clinical trials have been completed.

As per the latest update from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the adenoviral vector-based vaccine developed by Russian military and government researchers is currently in phase 2 trials. Six other vaccine candidates are in the final phase of the testing.

On July 05, The Hindu cited Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization, saying that a realistic (but very optimistic) timeline from the start of Phase-1 to the completion of Phase-3 could be about six to nine months (if all goes exactly according to plan).

Russia did announce on approving a vaccine for widespread use, but the safety and efficacy of it have not yet been determined. As per the WHO, Russia is still in Phase 2 of vaccine development and require time and further trials to produce a safe vaccine.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.