Thoughts from my piece in BMJ today about SPUTNIK #vaccine : Need the best, safest, most durably protective vaccines. Can’t identify these unless we have a transparent, peer-reviewed comparative evaluation of safety, immunogenicity and protection side by side, objectively. 1/4

2. Anything less than this risks poor choices we can ill-afford. Why should we care if countries seek separate solutions? Negative publicity about vaccine efficacy or safety would undermine confidence in one of the most significant missions humankind has ever faced

3. Virus spreads with no respect for borders, so there’s no benefit in countries racing into suboptimal vaccines - we need joined up approaches with the help of bodies such as @CEPIvaccines, @WHO, @gatesfoundation, @wellcometrust.

4. This cannot be turned into a Cold War arms race for political gain. The arbiter must be antibody titres, T cell frequencies and lung CT scans, not popularity ratings of regional politicians. We simply need good research to find the vaccine candidates that save the most lives.