COVID-19 Vaccine (unsplash free photo)
Russian Sputnik V vaccines showed 80 percent efficacy against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) six to eight months after the second dosage, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced in a global press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 24.
During a joint press conference with the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev presented the new data from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of San Marino, and the company’s plans for new vaccine products against COVID.
The presentation revealed that Sputnik V has six to eight months efficacy that is substantially higher than the officially declared efficacy of mRNA vaccines. Due to a prolonged antibody and T-cell response, the Sputnik team believes that adenoviral vaccines have a higher effectiveness than mRNA vaccines.
The figures are based on the number of COVID infections in November 2021 in San Marino. Efficacy was determined using data from over 18,600 people who had been fully vaccinated with Sputnik V for at least five months prior to November.
During the entire mass immunization in San Marino from February to November 2021, the hospitalization rate for COVID infection following vaccination with Sputnik V was just 0.75 per 1,000 persons—a rate which is more than twice as low as any other vaccination used in the country, the official statement said.
Sputnik V has been administered to more than 70 percent of San Marino's adult population.
Launching of Sputnik M vaccine for minors
Meanwhile, Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya Center, and Denis Logunov, deputy director, in the same global news conference, discussed the Sputnik M coronavirus vaccine for teenagers as well as an intranasal vaccination.
On Nov. 4 the Russian Ministry of Health has registered the Sputnik M vaccination for adolescents aged 12 to 17. It will join Sputnik V and Sputnik Light as a new member of the Sputnik vaccination family and will be available in foreign markets.
Official statement
The official statement also cited an article published in EClinicalMedicine (an open access clinical journal published by The Lancet, one of the world's most respected medical journals) in July demonstrated that the Russian vaccine has a high safety profile in San Marino. In particular, Sputnik V shows high tolerability profile in ≥60 age group with nearly all reported adverse events following immunization being mild or moderate and lasting less than two days.
“Sputnik V pioneered the heterogeneous boosting approach (a “vaccine cocktail” using human adenovirus serotype 26 as the first component and human adenovirus serotype 5 as the second component). This approach was proven to be successful in creating a longer and more durable immunity against coronavirus.
“Sputnik team offered its booster shot (one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine) to other vaccines to lengthen and strengthen their immune response and took the lead in initiating partnerships around the world to conduct joint studies on the combination of Sputnik Light with vaccines of other producers.”
Vaccine combos
The RDIF and Sputnik teams also offered other vaccine producers a vaccine combination strategy as well as the one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine as a universal booster. A number of combination studies (Argentina, Azerbaijan) have shown that boosting with Sputnik Light produces a substantially stronger immune response than two injections of the same vaccine.
The presentation also focused on antibody testing. Speakers advised that other countries use it more since it allows them to assess vaccine effectiveness.
The Philippines received its first batch of Sputnik V vaccines on May 1 this year, while Sputnik Light arrived just recently on Nov. 19.
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