Russian Coronavirus Vaccine To Be Distributed In August For Civilian Use

Russia has become the first country to complete the clinical trials for its COVID-19 vaccine in the global race to find a solution for the novel coronavirus.

The announcement made by the country is based on the results of last-stage human clinical trials completed at Russia's Sechenov University. The late-stage clinical trials proved the efficacy of the vaccine candidate against the novel coronavirus, according to the head and chief researcher at the university's Center for Clinical Research on Medications, Elena Smolyarchuk.

"The research has been completed and it proved that the vaccine is safe. The volunteers [of the clinical trials] will be discharged on 15 July and 20 July," Smolyarchuk said in an interview with the local media.

The researchers further added that all of the volunteers will continue to be seen on an outpatient basis after discharge.

Head of Russia's Gamalei Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Alexander Gintsburg, said that the vaccine is expected to be made available for civilians somewhere between August 12 and 14. The mass production for Russia’s and the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine is expected to start in September.

More than 160 vaccine candidates are being developed and tested in different parts of the world, including Australia, U.K., U.S., Japan, China and India. Around 21 vaccines have entered clinical trials already globally and the rest of them are still at a pre-evaluation stage.

While the U.K. is expected to receive its potential coronavirus vaccine for civilian use in the first half of 2021, Australia is set to initiate a clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate this week.

The Russian COVID-19 vaccine was tested on batches of two people. The first batch of 18 people received their dose of vaccine on June 18, the second group of 20 people received the dose for the vaccine candidate on June 23.

According to reports, the COVID-19 vaccine in Russia has been developed by the same labs that worked on a vaccine for MERS and Ebola.