Coronavirus vaccine: Since the COVID-19 outbreak has taken place, a plethora of false and partially true news is making rounds. Some prefer to believe them and share without checking the authenticity of the news while others do some research and find out if the news holds at least some credibility and truth. Here, we are doing exactly the same for you.
With over 13 million cases and 570,000 deaths, the end of coronavirus is nowhere near. The world is desperate for a vaccine and Russia claims it has found one.
The claim has offered everyone hope but could be a false one too. In all likelihood, Russia’s vaccine could have cleared only phase-1 of human trials. So, at best, it’s a potential vaccine, which is still in trials and needs scientific calls.
On July 13, a piece of news about a Russian Medical University successfully completing human trials of the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine started to surface on news portals and social media. A vaccine candidate, that was never in the front runners, suddenly came to the forefront claiming that it is effective in fighting against the deadly COVID-19. This is what is making people perplexed. They are not able to believe the news. And, facts also suggest you do the same. This vague news should not be believed.
Fact Check
A Russian news agency called ‘Tass’ is the primary source of this news that states, the Russian scientists have successfully completed human trials and the vaccine is absolutely safe. However, it did not mention that researchers have only completed the first stage of a two-stage first phase of the clinical trial. Notably, any vaccine is not considered safe to be used on masses unless it successfully goes through three phases of human trials.
This partially true or vague news became viral in India after Russian state-controlled news agency “Sputnik News” reported the same news and the Russian embassy in India also tweeted it.
How Much Truth The News Holds
As per the United States National Library of Medicine, this Russian vaccine candidate is listed there as “Gam-COVID-Vac Lyo” and the Gamalei institute is in the process of developing it. According to the website, the vaccine is currently under the Phase-1 human trial. The document of the World Health Organisation on the COID-19 vaccine also states the same.
