Russian university completes clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine

A Russian university said that clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine on 38 paid volunteers have been completed successfully.

Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University launched clinical trials of the potential COVID-19 vaccine produced by Russia’s Gamalei Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology on June 18.

“The research has been completed and it proved that the vaccine is safe. The volunteers will be discharged on July 15 and July 20,” said Yelena Smolyarchuk, the head of Sechenov University’s clinical research centre.

Smolyarchuk added that the volunteers will remain under medical supervision on an out-patient basis after being discharged.

There are at least 21 vaccines currently under trial worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Every country and every lab is taking a different approach to finding the solution to stop the global pandemic.

Clinical trial on a glance:

• The first group of 18 healthy volunteers got vaccinated on June 18.
• The second group of 20 volunteers received the vaccine on June 23 at the Practical Research Centre for Interventional Cardiovasology.
• The volunteers were males and females within the age group of 18 to 65.
• They receive a lyophilised vaccine or a powder from which a solution is prepared for intramuscular injection.
• Some participants reported headaches and elevated body temperature, however, the university said these symptoms resolved completely within 24 hours after vaccine administration.
• The participants have been kept in single or double wards on campus at Sechenov University.
• They will have to spend 28 days in isolation after the vaccine injection to protect them from exposure to other infections and after discharging they will be monitored for 6 more months.
• During isolation, the volunteers were offered psychological support.
• The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Gamaleya Institute is also being tested at Burdenko Military Hospital in Moscow.
• The military hospital is using the liquid form of the medication during the clinical trial.

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