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Russia declares world’s first COVID­19 shot

IAS Current Affairs

What is the news ?

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID­19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing.

The vaccine to be called ‘Sputnik V’ and  however, not yet completed its final trials.

Russian Claim and Vaccine details

  • It is completely safe.
  • The President said one of his daughters had taken it as a volunteer and felt good
    afterwards
  • The vaccine is administered in two doses and consists of two serotypes of a
    human adenovirus.
  • Each carrying an S­antigen of the new coronavirus, which enter human cells and produce an immune response.
  • The platform used for the vaccine was developed by Russian scientists over two
    decades and had formed the basis for several vaccines in the past, including those
    against Ebola
  • The vaccine is based on the DNA of a SARS-CoV-2 type adenovirus, a common cold virus
Adenovirus
  • Adenovirus is used as a tool to deliver genes or vaccine antigens to the target host tissue.
  • Adenovirus: Adenoviruses (ADVs) are DNA viruses ranging from 70-90 nanometre in size, which induce many illnesses in humans like cold, respiratory infection etc.
  • Adenoviruses are preferred for vaccines because their DNA is double stranded which makes them genetically more stable and the chances of them changing after injection are lower.
  • Rabies vaccine is an adenovirus vaccine.

Concern over Adenovirus

Just as human bodies develop immune responses to most real viral infections, they also develop immunity to adenoviral vectors. Since adenoviral vectors are based on natural viruses that some humans might already have been exposed to, these vaccines might not work for everyone.

Concerns raised by experts

  • Approval for the vaccine before properly tested under various condition
  • The vaccine is under finally stage trial and under this stage the efficiency can be calculated accurately

Source : The Hindu

Topic : Prelims, GS III

GS III : Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life. 

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