Sputnik vaccine: Will the Sputnik vaccine be available in the UK?
Matt Hancock: UK will have ability to certify they've had vaccine
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters.Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer.Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights.You can unsubscribe at any time.
Russia created the first Covid vaccine candidate in Europe in mid-2020, naming it Sputnik V. The country’s government approved it not long after in August, despite questions about its efficacy from western nations. Officials distributed the jab around neighbouring countries such as Serbia, Hungary and Belarus before sending it further afield to the UAE and Argentina.
Will the Sputnik vaccine be available in the UK?
Sputnik V was met with scepticism in the west, owing, in part, to its quick approval by the Russian government.
The Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology continued trials as officials started administering the first doses.
Other approved drugs, including the Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, required Phase III trial results before approval.
Independent researchers have since confirmed Sputnik V works “well” compared to its western counterparts.
The vaccine has a 91.6 percent success rate against symptomatic Covid-19.
Scientists have hailed the results as encouraging, stating it could join other candidates.
Ian Jones, a virology professor at Reading University, said it can now “join the fight” against Covid.
He wrote in The Lancet: “The development of the Sputnik V vaccine has been criticised for unseemly haste, corner-cutting, and an absence of transparency.
“But the outcome reported here is clear and the scientific principle of vaccination is demonstrated, which means another vaccine can now join the fight to reduce the incidence of Covid-19.”
In all, 16 countries have given the jab regulatory approval, but the UK is not one of them.
Boris Johnson’s cabinet avoided commenting on the news earlier this week.
DON’T MISS
Should Macron apologise to UK after AstraZeneca vaccine claims? – POLL
Europe vaccine in charts – How UK, France and Germany compare – EXPLAINER
Tony Blair claims EU’s vaccine farce due to Brexit – ANALYSIS
The Prime Minister’s spokesman insisted commenting on the development was a matter for scientists.
According to the Telegraph, they did not comment on why Mr Johnson had not welcomed the news.
As the silence may suggest, there are no public plans to roll out the Sputnik vaccine in the UK yet.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has not revealed any pending approval.
They are currently waiting to pass Johnson and Johnson’s groundbreaking one-shot jab.
Other European countries, including Germany, have shown an openness to rolling out Sputnik V, provided it passes clinical trials.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz also spoke with Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin revealed.
The Russian government said they discussed “possible supplies of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine to Austria, as well as its possible joint production.”
Source: Read Full Article