Russia's Sechenov University has completed clinical trials of the world's first vaccine for COVID-19.

The vaccine study at Sechenov University has not completed human trials as the participants vaccinated in June 2020 are to be monitored for 180 days.

The vaccine study at Sechenov University has not completed human trials as the participants vaccinated in June 2020 are to be monitored for 180 days.The Russian Ministry of Health permitted clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Gamalei Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology to be conducted at Sechenov University in Moscow. It began on June 18, 2020, with eighteen volunteers, and another group of twenty volunteers who received the vaccine on June 23. The vaccinated volunteers have to spend 28 days in the hospital for protection from other infectious diseases. They are to be monitored six months after discharge, to consider the vaccine as safe for human consumption.

There is no official confirmation from the Russian government regarding the launch of the vaccine. The latest announcement was on July 2 about the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) STI Framework Programme's dedication to research and development of drugs against COVID-19.

The World Health Organization has listed the vaccine, named Gam-COVID-Vac Lyo, as one of the candidate vaccines under clinical evaluation. The Week in its article covers how the media story about Russia having finished human trials of the vaccine is untrue.

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.