Doubts about the first corona vaccine: Russian roulette

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Work at the state-run Gamaleya Institute in Moscow: Race for the first corona vaccine

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched "Sputnik" as the first nation in the world to launch a satellite into Earth orbit - almost a year earlier than had been forecast by Western experts. The event is considered the beginning of the space age, it was a revolution.

Now, more than 60 years later, the Russians want to have done something similar: the country has a new "Sputnik". But instead of the space race, he is said to have won an important race for Russia in 2020: the global hunt for a first vaccine that protects against the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Russia approved the "Sputnik V" vaccine on Tuesday, as the first country in the world and around half a year earlier than Western experts had expected a vaccine. The maneuver could usher in a revolution in dealing with the corona pandemic. In any case, it is a show of force.

The country, which is the first to bring a corona vaccine to widespread use, can relax protective measures in private life, public institutions and the economy and possibly even lift them in the long term. However, Russia is nowhere near that point.

Power behavior at the expense of health

Unlike the "Sputnik" satellite, victory in the race for the first corona vaccine is a sham. If other states and companies were to apply the security criteria for approval that Russia has set, some competitors could already approve corona vaccines. According to all that is known, some of them are even further than Russia in the regular vaccine test.

If one applies internationally recognized standards for the development of vaccines, one could even argue that, contrary to its own statements, Russia does not yet have a vaccine, at least one that is internationally recognized. Because the Russian approval does not meet the actually applicable criteria. Whether the country actually won the race remains to be seen.

So far, the "Sputnik V" has only been tested on a few people; a phase III study with tens of thousands of test persons has not taken place. But it is absolutely necessary in order to be able to safely weigh the benefits and risks. Nevertheless, Russia does not want to catch up with a few thousand test subjects until it has been approved.

Teachers and doctors should be vaccinated beforehand. The vaccine will then be mass-produced and distributed to the general public at the beginning of 2021. The timing is roughly realistic for the approval of other vaccines. Perhaps Russia will be lucky and by then its remedy will prove to be safe and effective. Then, looking back, one could say that the state did everything right. But that would be fatal.

Dangerous overtaking maneuver

There are good reasons why high standards are set in drug testing. After all, substances are used that intervene in the body, this is the only way they can work. But wherever something works, there is always a risk of side effects. These must be known in order to weigh up whether the benefits of a drug outweigh the risks of possible side effects.

This consideration decides whether it is ethically justifiable to use a product in the general population, for people with previous illnesses, the elderly and children. This is essential for all drugs, but especially for vaccines: They are used very widely and only develop their full benefits when a large part of the population can be immunized.

This requires trust in the resources available. And that is precisely what is endangered by Russia's power-driven actions and the international competition for the first vaccine. Russia behaves like a traffic hooligan who starts to overtake immediately before a bend on the country road.

Food for vaccine opponents

The procedure plays into the cards of those who have long been raising doubts about the safety of vaccinations. Isn't the Russian example proof that governments and scientists are ready to put the health of the population at risk? Who guarantees that security will not fall by the wayside in favor of media-effective appearances by heads of government who are hoping for re-election?

Fortunately, researchers and authorities around the world are sticking to the applicable standards even after Russia's trump cards. The criticism of national and international institutions is great, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), which is responsible for vaccine approval in Germany, and the Federal Ministry of Health have urged caution. You are aware that a failure to vaccinate can damage the population for years - also with regard to other diseases.

There is even a chance that the Russian overtaking maneuver will go well. Maybe this one time, who knows? But the next attempt with a poorly tested drug could end catastrophically. If prestige and competitive thinking outweigh basic scientific standards in the race for medical progress, it will cost human lives.