Putin Can't Take Russia's 'Safe' Covid Vaccine, Kremlin Says
President Vladimir Putin told fellow world leaders last week that both of Russia’s Covid-19 vaccines, including one he championed as the world’s first inoculation against the disease, are safe and effective. That doesn’t mean he’s taken a jab.
“We have not yet begun widespread vaccination and the head of state can’t take part in vaccination as a volunteer. It’s impossible,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday, in response to a question on whether Putin had been inoculated. “The president can’t use an uncertified vaccine.”
Developers of Russia’s flagship vaccine, Sputnik V, said Tuesday that initial testing showed it was 91.4% effective in preventing infections, although it has not yet published final results in a peer-reviewed journal. Among volunteers who started the vaccination process earlier, preliminary data indicated efficacy of over 95%, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
Russia has the world’s fifth-highest number of cases globally, passing 2 million last week. Putin announced the registration of Sputnik V in August and a second inoculation was approved in October, even as Phase 3 trials to establish safety and efficacy are still taking place.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-24/putin-can-t-take-russia-s-safe-covid-19-vaccine-kremlin-says
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... that's odd. What's the deal with Putin? What's the deal with Bloomberg? Their message seems off... if I were Putin, and wanted to push my country's vac, but did not trust it, I'd stage a "blank" shot and buy stock.
