Forty thousand people are participating in the human trial, which commenced in Russia on Aug. 11. Researchers have evaluated the vaccine’s efficacy by observing the results in more than 16,000 volunteers, who either received the vaccine or a placebo 21 days after the first injection.

The efficacy was obtained after evaluating 20 confirmed COVID-19 cases from the 16,000 volunteers who had been injected with the vaccine or the placebo.

In September, the Sputnik V vaccine was administered to a group of volunteers who hailed from Russian hospitals in the red zone areas. As of Nov. 11, more than 20,000 volunteers have been given the first shot. At the same time, more than 16,000 volunteers have also received the second shot of the vaccine. 

So far, no unexpected adverse events have been reported during the trial. Some of the volunteers reported short-term minor adverse events, such as fever, weakness, fatigue, headache as well as a sensation of pain near the injection spot. 

The research data will be published in an international peer-reviewed medical journal by the Gamaleya Center. The research center will also provide access to the complete clinical trial report. 

“The publication of the interim results of the post-registration clinical trials that convincingly demonstrate the Sputnik V vaccine’s efficacy gives way to mass vaccination in Russia against COVID-19 in the coming weeks,” Gamaleya Center director Alexander Gintsburg said in a statement made available for The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The Sputnik V vaccine was developed at the National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow and is currently undergoing phase three clinical trials in Belarus, India and the Uni Arab Emirates, among other countries.

The participants will be observed for the next six months before Gamaleya publishes its final report. The Sputnik V vaccine uses two different human adenoviral vectors to enable a strong and long-term immune response after it is administered for the second time. 

The vaccine is claimed to be safe based on more than 250 clinical trials conducted in the past two decades and reports in 75 international publications. 

Russian Federation Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko was upbeat about the results of the interim trial that demonstrated an efficient solution to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The use of the vaccine and the results of clinical trials demonstrate that it is an efficient solution to stop the spread of coronavirus infection, a preventive healthcare tool, and this is the most successful path to defeat the pandemic,” said Murashko. (dpk)

Editor’s note: This article is part of a public campaign by the COVID-19 task force to raise people’s awareness about the pandemic.