Russia claims its Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine is 92% effective

Russia claims that its vaccine Sputnik V is 92 percent effective at protecting people from COVID-19 according to the first interim analysis.

The announcement from Russia comes days after drug giant Pfizer announced that its coronavirus vaccine was more than 90 percent effective at protecting people from infection as compared to placebo saline shot, as per the analysis.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) in a statement said, “The Sputnik V vaccine efficacy amounted to 92 percent (calculation based on the 20 confirmed COVID-19 cases split between vaccinated individuals and those who received the placebo)”.

Sputnik V phase III clinical trials are currently approved and are undergoing in Belarus, the UAE, India, Venezuela, and other countries.

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said: “The use of the vaccine and the results of clinical trials demonstrate that it is an efficient solution to stop the spread of coronavirus infection, a preventive healthcare tool, and this is the most successful path to defeat the pandemic.”

The efficacy of the drug was demonstrated on the basis of a first interim analysis obtained 21 days after the first injection.

Phase III trials is repotedly taking place in 29 clinics across Moscow and will involve 40,000 volunteers in total, with a quarter receiving a placebo shot.

Russia became the first country to register the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine on August 11.