Scientists from Russia are planning to start the clinical trials within two weeks on a vaccine for combating the coronavirus or COVID-19, the nation's health ministry got quoted as saying on Saturday.
The European country has the world's third-highest deadly novel virus tally after the United States and Brazil, and Kremlin officials have stated that the country's researchers are working on around 50 different vaccine projects.
Russian Scientists to Start Clinical Trials
"The tests are underway and we plan to start clinical trials in the next two weeks," Health Minister Mikhail Murashko was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency. He said volunteers had been selected to take part in the trials. Drugmakers worldwide are rushing to develop treatments and vaccines for the virus that has caused 364,000 deaths globally.
There are currently about 10 coronavirus vaccines being tested in humans and experts have predicted that a safe and effective vaccine could take 12 to 18 months from the start of development. One of the Russian vaccine projects is being undertaken by the state-run Vektor Institute in Siberia, and the institute's director-general, Rinat Maksyutov, said on Saturday he hoped to complete clinical trials in mid-September.
Trails on Animals Had Been Successful
Maksyutov said vaccine trials on animals had been successful. Russia on Saturday reported 181 deaths from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours — down from the record 232 deaths registered the previous day, pushing up the nationwide death toll to 4,555. Officials said 8,952 new infections had been confirmed, bringing the national tally to 396,575 cases.
President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow, the epicenter of the country's coronavirus outbreak, had succeeded in preventing what he called worst-case scenarios as the city announced it would ease tough lockdown measures within days.
(With agency inputs)
