Russia Claims First Coronavirus Vaccine Ready for Deployment

Russian First Deputy Defense Minister Ruslan Tsalikov claimed in a newspaper interview on Monday that the first domestically produced vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus has passed all “final assessments” and is “ready” for deployment.

“Final assessments on the results of testing by our specialists and scientists of the National Research Center have been already made. At the moment of release all volunteers without exception developed immunity against the coronavirus and felt normal. So, the first domestic vaccine against the novel coronavirus infection is ready,” Tsalikov said.

The Russian Trade and Health Ministries are also proceeding as if the vaccine is functional. The ministries issued permits at the end of June for testing on liquid and freeze-dried vaccines, each of which is undergoing tests on groups of 43 volunteers. The group testing the liquid vaccine has purportedly “completed clinical trials” just 21 days after the permit was issued.

The Moscow Times on Tuesday threw some cold water on First Deputy Defense Minister Tsalikov’s enthusiasm by noting that the clinical trials have not actually completed Phase Two out of three, so it seems a bit premature to declare them “ready,” never mind 100 percent effective.

The chief financier of the clinical trials, Kirill Dmitriyev, has indicated Phase Two testing will be completed by August 3, Phase Three will include international testing partners, and mass production will hopefully begin before the end of the year.

The Defense Ministry’s surprise announcement of a ready-to-go vaccine was made two days after allegations were leveled against Russian hackers for attempting to steal coronavirus vaccine research from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Kirill Dmitriyev was among the prominent Russian voices denying the allegations of data theft. Among other arguments, he insisted Russia had no reason to steal research from other countries because it was so close to producing the world’s first reliable coronavirus vaccine on its own.

Bloomberg News on Sunday reported that Russian business and political elites have been given access since April to an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by the state-run Gamaleya Institute in Moscow. The medication has been kept secret from the Russian public, but “dozens who have had the shots” anonymously confirmed its existence to Bloomberg News.

The Gamaleya vaccine project was also financed by Dmitriyev’s Russian Direct Investment Fund. Dmitriyev was one of the few Russian elites willing to go on the record and confirm he has taken the shots.

According to sources familiar with the Gamaleya project, its treatment was derived from vaccines already in use against other diseases, including the common cold, so safety might be a less serious concern than effectiveness. An unnamed Russian business tycoon told Bloomberg News he nevertheless decided against taking the offered vaccine because his doctor cautioned it would take at least a year to properly assess its risks and benefits.

Asked on Monday if Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of the elites given access to the Gamaleya vaccine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied, “It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to use an uncertified vaccine on the head of state.”