The Russian Sputnik V vaccine has shown nearly 92% effectiveness against symptomatic cases of COVID-19 and has provided complete protection against severe cases, according to a peer-reviewed analysis of a large clinical trial published in the medical journal Lancet. The vaccine also appears to be safe.
Why it matters: This is the strongest evidence to date that the Russian vaccine is one of several highly effective options in the global mix. Russia is almost entirely dependent on Sputnik V to vaccinate its own population, and more than a dozen other countries have bought doses.
- That number is expected to continue to rise, although Russia has so far struggled to increase its manufacturing capacity.
- Russia expects to vaccinate 60% of its population by the end of the year, according to the WSJ.
Flashback: Vladimir Putin announced in August that the vaccine had been approved despite very limited data, and then in November the state Gamaleya Research Institute said it was 92% effective, without initially providing supporting data.
- Both announcements were met with great international skepticism. But those doubts will be at least partially mitigated by the findings released on Tuesday.
Go deeper: The global line of vaccines against coronavirus dates back to 2023