19,000 People Already Administered Sputnik V, Russian COVID-19 Vaccine

Russian-developed COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, has been administered to 19,000 people in the Moscow area, per Russian news agency, Tass.

Sputnik V is developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Healthcare Ministry, and is the first registered COVID-19 vaccine to date.

The vaccine is given in two components, and 19,000 people have been given the first component so far. Around 6,500 people have received the second component. 

SEE ALSO: OXFORD, ASTRAZENECA CORONAVIRUS VACCINE PRODUCES IMMUNE RESPONSE IN ADULTS

Vaccine against COVID-19

The side effects of Sputnik V are apparently "insignificant and fully correspond to the instruction manual for this preparation," per Alexander Gintsburg who is the director of the Gamaleya Center that developed the vaccine. 

Some of the vaccine's side effects include a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celcius), headaches and muscle pain, and are "observed in approximately 15% of the vaccinated people," per Gintsburg.

"So it’s not difficult to understand that 85% of vaccinated people experience no side effects or any inconvenience," he mentioned.

Officially named Gam-COVID-vac, Sputnik V needs to be administered twice to be fully effective, with between three to four weeks between the first and the second injections. 

What's seemingly great about this vaccine is that its made in such a way that not only are antibodies given to the injected person, but also neutralizing antibodies. The neutralizing antibodies are 1.5 to 2 times higher in those who are inoculated with Sputnik V than in those who have been infected with COVID-19. 

This is the first official registration of a vaccine against COVID-19. Sputnik V passed all of its clinical trials, including its final trial that began in August this year and included 40,000 volunteers, 10,000 of whom were given a placebo. 

It's believed that around 50 countries have shown their interest in purchasing the Sputnik V vaccine, per the Moscow Times.