Shiva Neupane (Melbourne)
Russian vaccine: Hype or Reality:
Finally Russia has announced the discovery of Covid-19 vaccine or otherwise known as sputnik vaccine. The vaccine has received a regulatory approval from the health ministry of Russia for the people to be inoculated. However, the global medical fraternity seems to be reluctant to accept the effectiveness of this vaccine for the growing medical concerns and most of the media experts for that matter have raised their eyebrows.
Not to mention, Russia is an arch enemy of the United States. Therefore, by hook or crook Russia wants to be the pioneer in the field of medical research to get the geopolitical edge over America. There have been numerous concerns about why Russia have chosen the low road to success by cutting the corner when it comes to show the authenticity for how vaccines were meant to be developed by going through the rigorous clinical stages. What is more interesting thing to learn about this secretive Russian Regime is that they had amended the laws to speed up and legally avoid the third clinical phase of the vaccine and which is why this vaccine has received the regulatory approval from the health ministry for the people to get inoculated in Russia.
The rushing for the Covid-19 vaccine has left Russia in the cross-hairs of global medical aficionados. The widespread criticisms have circulated throughout the world for why Russia claims to have developed Covid-19 vaccine without following the established guidelines of the World Health Organization. According to the WHO, there are six candidates for effectively conducting the research for the coronavirus vaccine. However, the Moscow based Gamaleya Institute is not included.
It is important that Russia needs to focus on how this vaccine is clinically feasible to boost the immunity of human and help fight against coronavirus. The race for vaccine should not be done for the national hubris. The nation must be driven with the philanthropic commitment but not with the cold war retaliatory tactics similar to space race. The reckless effort for rushing to get nationalistic pride may not serve the humanity. The world’s governments must collaborate with each other and find the way to bolster the effectiveness and efficacy of covid-19 vaccine.
In a nutshell, the world scientific community must be adequately proactive, and give no hostages to fortune. The humanity should not be neglected during the time of coronageddon.
Shiva Neupane, is the author of Falang English Dictionary, In the Pursuit of Utopian Life in Australia, Falang Food Dictionary, My waves, The Elixir of my Voice. His articles have been appeared in the Australian mainstream newspaper “The Age”, the national daily of Nepal “The Himalayan Times” and the scores of other media outlets. He can be contacted at falang_socialwelfare@yahoo.com