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1) Russia’s approval of an early vaccine candidate is reckless as it places domestic- and geo-politics ahead of science and medicine. According to the @WHO vaccine tracker, the Gamaleya candidate hasn't even cleared Phase II, let alone Phase III...
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/11/world/europe/russia-coronavirus-vaccine.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/11/world/europe/russia-coronavirus-vaccine.html
2) That means the candidate vaccine is well behind Moderna, Sinovac, Oxford, and 5 others that are all in phase III. According to the clinical trials tracker, it's been tested for production of antibodies in a small number of healthy, under 60 age group... https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04437875?term=vaccine&cond=covid-19&draw=4
3) That's not a large-scale field trial where 1000s are vaccinated and compared to placebo for protection against the virus. Phase III is critical to show safety and efficacy especially in the over 60 age group that is the most vulnerable to SARS-C0V-2... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4944327/
4) In 20th century we worked w/Soviet Union & @WHO to wipe out Smallpox after it killed hundreds of millions. Today, in the midst of a pandemic that requires global cooperation, our leaders are pursuing narrow, nationalistic agendas. We need #ScienceDiplomacy more than ever.
