Analysts have finally found explanations for such a rapid development of the vaccine against COVID-19 in Russia. Ignoring the vital necessity of medicine, it is a simple desire to earn more money and beat the US.
Despite serious risks, Russian health authorities are planning to start a mass vaccination campaign against the coronavirus. In fact, it looks like an advertisement for possible foreign purchasers of the medical product.
Most scientists claim that the vaccine has not been tested in late-stage. However, large, randomized control trials are critical in establishing a vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. Moreover, Russian has not provided the World Health Organization with the results of testing.
Experts have come to the conclusion that medical testing was performed with numerous violations. The key aim was to become first in the race for the vaccine.
The statements of Russian officials and their belligerent attitude only confirm this idea. For example, Senator Oleg Morozov has openly stated that there are two aims in this war. The first one is to damage the prestige of US science, and the second one is to close Western markets for this development.
In other words, prestige and money are the main drivers of such a rapid development of the vaccine. However, when working on medical products, scientists should be focused on their safety and effectiveness.
Vladimir Vasiliev, Ph.D. in Economics and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for US and Canadian Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, supports Oleg Morozov saying that the estimated number of COVID-19 cases in the world is several tens of millions of people. Moreover, it is likely to be drastically higher. The virus is spreading in both developed and emerging countries, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America. That is why the vaccine market is estimated at tens of billions of US dollars.
