Russia's Sputnik Vaccine Looks Good

 

Vaccine vindication in Russia

A vaccine developed in Russia, known as Sputnik V, has exceeded expectations in a new study that showed it to have a 91.6 percent efficacy rate against the coronavirus without serious side effects.

The peer-reviewed results in The Lancet, based on a clinical trial of 22,000 people, were a huge boost for the government of President Vladimir Putin, which faced international skepticism after approving and distributing the vaccine in August before late-stage trials had even begun.

“The development of the Sputnik V vaccine has been criticized for unseemly haste, corner cutting, and an absence of transparency,” wrote two British virology experts in the prestigious medical journal. “But the outcome reported here is clear and the scientific principle of vaccination is demonstrated.”

Doses of the Sputnik V vaccine are cheap, at about $20 for two shots, and they do not need to be kept at an ultracold temperature, leaving Russia well positioned to deliver a cheap vaccine at home and abroad.