“This morning, for the first time in the world, a vaccine against the new coronavirus was recorded,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday, adding: “I know that it is quite effective, that it gives lasting immunity. . It even has a name: Sputnik V. The director of the Russian sovereign wealth fund involved actually made it clear that phase 3 of the trials began the next day. In the coming weeks, medical staff and teachers should be the focus of the first campaign. The entry into circulation for the rest of the population would take place on January 1, 2021.
Should we believe it? The announcement leaves very skeptical Isabelle Imbert, researcher of the CNRS in Aix-Marseille.
Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had developed the "first vaccine". What does that mean ?
ISABELLE IMBERT. I understand it's com! Promising a vaccine so quickly is extremely dangerous. Regarding the Russian trials, we are not aware of any rigorous scientific publication. We do not know the methodology or the results of their clinical trials. Did they respect phase 1, high doses to a few people to check the harmlessness, phase 2 during which the serum is injected to several hundred volunteers then phase three where this time the tests relate to several thousand? of people ?
Faced with this announcement, the WHO recalled the need for "rigorous" procedures, why?
If we scientists are publishing our results, it is to share information and thus advance science. We thus also submit to the criticism of our colleagues who may say that the methodology is not the right one or that the results are doubtful or what-I ... It is a question of nourishing a scientific debate, not of saying "we the Russians, we are strong, you Americans, you suck ”. It is dangerous because the vaccine-skeptics, many in France, will engage on the theme "we are hiding things" ... On the other hand, it is not reassuring to go so quickly: if the international scientific community sets a protocol that may seem long, it is to ensure that the vaccine is effective and, above all, not dangerous.
Newsletter - Most of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to enable you to receive our news and commercial offers. Learn more
Developing a vaccine so quickly, is it credible?
The Russian teams are actually only in a testing phase like other teams around the world (Editor's note: the American Moderna program, like the Chinese vaccine, are also in phase III) . The deadline is too short for them to finish their tests. At best, the Russian labs began their trials in January, eight months of research to release a vaccine, it's impossible! To develop a vaccine strategy, that is to say choose the type of vaccine, test the candidate product, wait for administrative authorizations, it takes time, at least eighteen months. And again, I dare to hope that they have done animal testing before moving on to human testing!
Is there a risk of never finding a vaccine against Covid, as is the case with AIDS?
No. There is a good chance of finding a vaccine against this coronavirus. A priori, we should not find ourselves in the situation only in the fight against AIDS. The problem with HIV is that it mutates very quickly, allowing it to escape the pressure of drugs. In the case of Covid, the virus mutates but not to the point of rendering a vaccine ineffective.
