Germany questions ‘quality, safety’ of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine

Germany on Tuesday raised doubts over the quality and safety of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V,  stressing that drug approval will be granted in the European Union only after full clinical trials.

“Patient safety is of the highest priority,” a health ministry spokeswoman told German newspaper network RND, news agency AFP reported. “There is no known data on the quality, efficacy and safety of the Russian vaccine.”

President Vladimir Putin earlier on Tuesday said that Russia has become the first country to approve a vaccine offering “sustainable immunity” against the coronavirus. He also said that one of his daughters has been inoculated.

The announcement came after scientists in the West raised concerns about the speed of development of Russian vaccines, suggesting that researchers might be cutting corners after coming under pressure from authorities to deliver.

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Moments after Russia announced about the coronavirus vaccine, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that it would not give its stamp of approval without a rigorous safety review. Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine has been developed by the Gamaleya research institute in coordination with the country’s defence ministry.

Earlier, the United States Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar reacted to Russia’s announcement on vaccine, saying that “the goal of developing a vaccine is not to be first, but to have one that is safe”. 

“The point is not to be first with the vaccine. The point is to have a vaccine that is safe and effective for the American people and the people of the world,” Azar said.