WHO says Russia's COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V yet to complete advanced trials

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the vaccine approved by the Russian authorities this week is not among the nine vaccine candidates that it considers to be in the advanced stage, including Oxford and AstraZeneca’s ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222), which is currently undergoing the final phase of testing. Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to WHO's director-general, reportedly said that the global body is in talks with Russia to get additional information as they don't have enough material to make a judgement on the vaccine developed by Russia. 

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On August 11, Russia announced that it had become the first country to develop a vaccine and authorise it for public use, but experts from across the world doubt the safety of the drug as it has not yet completed advanced trials on humans. Russian President Vladimir Putin had controversially claimed that one of his daughters had been given the vaccine developed by the country. Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on August 11 said that he will be the first one to test the Russian made potential COVID-19 vaccine once it arrives in the country while accepting the former's offer for a clinical trial. 

Read: Philippine President Duterte Volunteers For Trial Of Russia's COVID-19 Vaccine

Russia's coronavirus vaccine

Scientists in Russia have reportedly claimed that they will be the first country to develop a COVID-19 vaccine in the world, even comparing it with the space-race between the United States and USSR, when the latter sent the first satellite into space. The Russian vaccine, developed at the Gamaleya institute in Moscow has even been named Sputnik V, after the first artificial satellite launched by USSR. As per reports, authorities in the former Soviet Union are planning to start mass production of the potential vaccine by September. 

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