Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine shows 97.6% efficacy: RDIF
NEW DELHI: The Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) announced that the Sputnik V vaccine demonstrated efficacy of 97.6%, based on the analysis of data on the infection rate of coronavirus among those in Russia vaccinated with both components of Sputnik V.
The Ministry of Health of Russia maintains a register of persons who have been vaccinated, as well as citizens who have got infected with COVID as part of the Unified State Information System in Healthcare.
According to the data from 3.8 million Russians vaccinated with both components of Sputnik V from December 5, 2020 to March 31, 2021 as part of the mass-scale civil vaccination program, the infection rate starting from the 35th day from the date of the first injection was only 0.027%.
At the same time, the incidence among the unvaccinated adult population was 1.1% for a comparable period starting from the 35th day after the launch of mass-scale vaccination in Russia.
The following formula was used to calculate the vaccine’s efficacy:
The data and calculations of the vaccine’s efficacy will be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal in May.
Sputnik V is approved for use in 60 countries with a total population of 3 billion people. Sputnik V ranks second among coronavirus vaccines globally in terms of the number of approvals issued by government regulators.
Sputnik V has also been approved in Russia, Belarus, Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, Algeria, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan, Hungary, UAE, Iran, Republic of Guinea, Tunisia, Armenia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Republika Srpska (entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Mongolia, Bahrain, Montenegro, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Gabon, San-Marino, Ghana, Syria, Kyrgyzstan, Guyana, Egypt, Honduras, Guatemala, Moldova, Slovakia, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Sri Lanka, Laos, Iraq, North Macedonia, Kenya, Morocco, Jordan, Namibia, Azerbaijan, Philippines, Cameroon, Seychelles, Mauritius, Vietnam, Antigua and Barbuda, Mali, Panama and India.
Alexander Gintsburg, Director of the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, said:
“The actual efficacy of the Sputnik V vaccine may be even higher than the results of our analysis demonstrate, since the data on the case registration system allows a time lag between the collection of the sample (the actual date of the disease) and the diagnosis. Sputnik V has once again confirmed its high effectiveness in the prevention of coronavirus infection.”
Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, commented:
“Data published by the leading medical journal The Lancet demonstrated efficacy of Sputnik V at 91.6%. The analysis of infection rate data of almost 4 million vaccinated people in Russia shows that efficacy of the vaccine is even higher, reaching 97.6%. This data confirms that Sputnik V demonstrates one of the best protection rates against coronavirus among all vaccines. The 60 countries that have approved the use of Sputnik V have made the right choice by choosing one of the most effective tools for the prevention of coronavirus.”
Sputnik V has a number of key advantages:
The Sputnik V vaccine is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, which cause the common cold and have been around for thousands of years.
Sputnik V uses two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination, providing immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.
The safety, efficacy and lack of negative long-term effects of adenoviral vaccines have been proven by more than 250 clinical studies over two decades.
There are no strong allergies caused by Sputnik V.
The storage temperature of Sputnik V at +2+8 C means it can be stored in a conventional refrigerator without any need to invest in additional cold-chain infrastructure.
The price of Sputnik V is less than $10 per shot, making it affordable around the world.
