Officials in the Altai region of Siberia say that three out of the 42 medical workers who were inoculated with the two dose Sputnik vaccine developed by Russia, have tested positive for COVID-19. The Russian officials had announced that the vaccine is 92% effective.
Initially the region’s administration said, “The sick doctors’ immunity likely didn’t have time to form by the time they encountered the COVID-19 pathogen. Only that could have caused the doctors’ infection.”
Later, the health ministry’s regional branch accepted that they may have contracted the viral infection, despite receiving one or two shots.
“A person is considered vaccinated and, accordingly protected from coronavirus infection only three weeks after the second vaccination,” the ministry said.
Russia registered its vaccine as Sputnik in homage to the first artificial satellite that orbited earth. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. Russia was the first country to register this vaccine for public use in August.
Scientists had spoken against the high speed with which the vaccine was given a green light and mass inoculations were done before long-term trials were conducted. Vaccine makers worldwide are announcing trial results, without peer or scientific review, in a bid to fast track a cure and combat the pandemic at the earliest.
Source New York Post