Moscow rejects criticism that it might be moving too quickly for safetyThe Russian coronavirus vaccine has gone into production at the Binnofarm pharmaceutical factory in the town of Zelenograd outside Moscow. (AFP Photo)MOSCOW: Russia said on Saturday that it had produced the first batch of its coronavirus vaccine, after President Vladimir Putin announced it had been first in the world to approve a vaccine. Putin’s announcement on Tuesday about the vaccine was met with caution from scientists and the World Health Organization who said it still needed a rigorous safety review. Western scientists were sceptical, with some warning that moving too quickly on a vaccine could be dangerous, but Russia denounced criticism as an attempt to undermine Moscow’s research. The Russian vaccine is called “Sputnik V” after the Soviet-era satellite that was the first launched into space in 1957.

Source: Bangkok Post August 15, 2020 12:11 UTC