HomeNewscoronavirusCoronavirus update | Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik will be effective, says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Coronavirus update | Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik will be effective, says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

The Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use inside Russia and Moscow clinics have reportedly begun receiving coronavirus vaccine supplies even as the Phase III clinical trials are underway

September 04, 2020 / 19:11 IST
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3 | FM Nirmala Sitharaman announces Rs 900 crore grant for COVID-19 vaccine research: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman on Thursday announced a Rs 900 crore grant to the Department of Biotechnology for COVID-19 vaccine research. "We are providing Rs 900 crore for research and development of COVID-19 vaccine. This is being provided for covid suraksha mission, purely for R&D but this money goes to Department of Biotechnology for research purposes," she said. Sitharaman said the grant does not cover the actual cost of vaccine and distribution expenses, which will be made separately as and when the vaccine is available.
3 | FM Nirmala Sitharaman announces Rs 900 crore grant for COVID-19 vaccine research: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman on Thursday announced a Rs 900 crore grant to the Department of Biotechnology for COVID-19 vaccine research. "We are providing Rs 900 crore for research and development of COVID-19 vaccine. This is being provided for covid suraksha mission, purely for R&D but this money goes to Department of Biotechnology for research purposes," she said. Sitharaman said the grant does not cover the actual cost of vaccine and distribution expenses, which will be made separately as and when the vaccine is available.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is in Moscow for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet, said on September 4 that the coronavirus vaccine being developed by Russia will be effective, reported News18.

Expressing confidence in the efficacy of Russia’s ‘Sputnik V’ COVID-19 vaccine, the Defence Minister touted the long-running partnership between the two nations.

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Moscow clinics have reportedly begun receiving vaccine supplies, even as the Phase III clinical trials are underway. The Sputnik V has been approved for use inside Russia and as per local media, the country will begin mass deliveries of the coronavirus vaccine in September.

At least 20 countries, including India, have requested for over one billion doses of the Sputnik V vaccine despite growing safety concerns.

COVID-19 Vaccine
Frequently Asked Questions

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.
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