'Russia to produce 2 mn COVID vaccine doses/month, plans to ramp up to 6 mn': Reports

Russia had recently claimed of developing the world's first-ever vaccine for Coronavirus. Russian media reported on Sunday that Russia is planning to manufacture 6 million doses of the potential Coronavirus vaccine per month. RIA news agency in its report cited Russian Industry Minister Denis Manturov as saying that the country would produce between 1.5 million and 2 million doses per month of its newly developed vaccine, gradually increasing the production to 6 million doses a month.

The vaccine is developed by Moscow based Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in collaboration with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Sputnik V as the vaccine is named is said to enter phase III of human trials as said by the officials on August 20 having knowledge of the project. At least 40,000 people across the nation will be a part of this testing phase which will be monitored by foreign research body, the officials claimed according to reports.

Russia recently had also expressed interest in partnering with India for large scale production of the vaccine. (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev made the announcement last week.

Although the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that Russia's vaccine is not part of the list of nine candidates in advanced stages of testing because the country had failed to provide sufficient evidence to the global health body for it to make any judgement on the drug, Russian President Vladimir Putin, while announcing the potential COVID-19 vaccine, mentioned that one of his two adult daughters has been inoculated, as a proof of the safety and success of the vaccine. The authorities from the nation hailed the efficiency of its COVID-19 vaccine after a two-month-long small scale human trial, details of which, however, are not available to the public. 

Russia is testing another vaccine candidate dubbed 'EpiVacCorona'. As per reports, the vaccine, which has been developed by the country's Vector State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology, is showing positive signs following early testing in humans.

READ | Russia's Second COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Positive Sign In Early Human Trials: Report