First Rounds of Vaccination in Russia Substitute for Third Stage of Clinical Trials Not Carried Out, Moscow Admits

Paul Goble

            Staunton, August 17 – The Russian health ministry has now declared what many analysts had argued was true, that Moscow will be using the first rounds of coronavirus vaccination as a substitute for the third stage of clinical trials which the authorities did not conduct because of the race to be the first to have a vaccine (regnum.ru/news/3038213.html).

            Many Russians are concerned, and they have reason to be, that they are serving as unwilling test subjects rather than receiving a medication on which they can rely, Novosibirsk medical specialist Sergey Netyosov says (novayagazeta.ru/articles/2020/08/17/86713-ukol-prevoshodstva-rossiyskaya-vaktsina-ot-koronavirusa-i-neuverennosti-v-velichii-strany).

            More information surfaced about the vaccine: Officials published a list of categories of people who will not be given the vaccine, including children (regnum.ru/news/3038491.html and  regnum.ru/news/3038503.html). In addition, researchers are working on a vaccine for animals (regnum.ru/news/3038248.html).

            The authorities also announced that the Russian government will continue its supplementary pay to doctors and other medical professionals working with coronavirus patients (regnum.ru/news/3037954.html).

            Today, Moscow announced that 4892 more cases of infection had been registered, the fourth day in a row where the number has been under 5,000. That brings the total for the pandemic to 927,745. It also said there have been 55 new deaths, upping that toll to 15,740 (zona.media/chronicle/krnaugust).

            Another important data point was also announced today: Russian health officials said doctors are now monitoring just over 228,000 people who have been infected, a figure down by more than 10,000 from a month ago (regnum.ru/news/3038187.html).

            The pandemic continues to ebb and flow across Russia with re-openings and re-closings tracking its impact (regnum.ru/news/society/3033993.html). In many places, parents are worried about the impact of the re-opening of schools. Teachers will be required to wear masks; and in Moscow at least, the government will provide them (regnum.ru/news/society/3038385.html and regnum.ru/news/3038563.html).

            In economic news, a Romir survey finds that inflation in Russia is currently running five times the one the government reports  (romir.ru/studies/lichnaya-inflyaciya-rossiyan-rezko-vyrosla). And a survey of Russian banks finds they have restructured “about 10 percent” of the loans they had made before the start of the pandemic (regnum.ru/news/3038867.html).

            Meanwhile, in other pandemic-related developments in Russia today,

·         The Russian health ministry has announced plans to begin inoculations against seasonal flu in the most distance and northern regions of the country (https://regnum.ru/news/3038206.html).

·         The WHO says dirty air increases the risk of fatal outcomes from coronavirus infections, a major worry in Russia’s heavily contaminated cities (regnum.ru/news/3038502.html).

·         And the entire company of the Mariinsky Theater is in lock down now that some 30 of its members have been found to be infected with the virus (regnum.ru/news/3038683.html). Also infected and now in isolation are six more reporters in the pool that  covers Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin (t.me/gazetaru/864).