Light at the end of the tunnel? Russian scientists test potential Covid-19 vaccine on 18 volunteers

Russian military doctors have administered the first trials of a potential homegrown coronavirus vaccine. According to the Ministry of Defence, volunteers have had no complications or adverse reactions.

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A total of 18 people have been given an experimental vaccine, developed by the Russian Ministry of Defense, in collaboration with academics from Moscow's Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.

Conducted at a military hospital in the capital, participants were divided into two groups of nine, with each receiving a different vaccine component.

“The first group of participants, consisting of 18 people who were vaccinated on June 18, were selected from the volunteers who stayed in self-isolation for two weeks,” the ministry said. “After vaccination, all volunteers are expected to remain in isolation in a hospital for 28 days.”

All those who receive the test vaccine will remain under medical observation and undergo regular screening and analysis. In a few days, after the scientists have observed the first participants and learned more about the safety of the drug, the rest will be given the trial vaccine. The drug has already been successfully tested for toxicity and immunogenicity, and has proven effective on large and small animals.

Trials are due to be completed next month.

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