All volunteers developed coronavirus immunity after vaccine trials: RDIF

MOSCOW: The head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev has said that the vaccine against the novel coronavirus, developed by country’s scientists, has created immunity in 100% of volunteers who took part in its trials.

According to the Russian official, 100% of volunteers developed immunity on the 21st day after receiving the first dose. Their immunity doubled after the second injection.

“I can tell you, from first and second phase we have hundred percent of people developing immunity after day 21. It doubles after the second shot. Hundred percent of animals were also protected [against the novel coronavirus],” Dmitriev said.

When asked when Russia would publish its findings, the RDIF head replied that all information would be released in August.

“We selected the safest approach, it has been extensively tested not only now, but also in Ebola vaccine we got approved, in MERS vaccine that was approved,” he went on. “We chose the safest possible delivery mechanism.”

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said earlier it was planned to launch mass production of a vaccine developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian health ministry in September 2020. Apart from that, in her words, the first batch of another vaccine, developed by the Russian sanitary watchdog’s Vektor Research Center, would be manufactured in October 2020.