Head of the Gamaleya Center Gunzburg: Sputnik V has ceased to protect against coronavirus
The Russian Sputnik V vaccine in its current version has ceased to protect against the variants of coronavirus that are prevalent in the population. About it stated Head of the Gamaleya Center, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Ginzburg in an interview with Gazeta.Ru.
In 2022, the effectiveness of Sputnik V fell 20 times
The original Sputnik was based on the Wuhan variant of the coronavirus. According to Gunzburg, in its current form, the drug was relevant until July 2022. With the advent of omicron variants BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3, its efficiency dropped eightfold, and with the spread of BA.4 and BA.5 – by 20.
And when the XBB.1.5 version of the omicron (Kraken) appeared – this was in January 2023 – Sputnik simply stopped protecting completely. Therefore, it was necessary to change the antigenic composition of the vaccine last summer
When will the new Sputnik V appear?
An updated vaccine based on the XBB.1.5 variant of Omicron (Kraken) is currently undergoing clinical trials, Gunzburg said. It is expected that it will receive a registration certificate on December 10, and will enter civil circulation no earlier than March 2024.
At the same time, Gunzburg admitted that by that time the updated Sputnik V may already lose its relevance against the coronavirus variants that will prevail. However, the law does not allow speeding up development, he noted. “This is precisely the lesson of the pandemic that we must clearly learn and develop new rules in this regard. We absolutely cannot lag a year behind the constantly evolving virus with our developments,” the scientist believes.
According to Gunzburg, it is important that the new vaccine is also in nasal form, since such drugs can interrupt the transmission of the coronavirus pathogen. A person vaccinated with them ceases to be a carrier of the causative agent of the virus – unlike someone who has been vaccinated by injection.
Vladimir Chulanov, a freelance specialist at the Ministry of Health, said that from a legal point of view, nothing is stopping the Gamaleya Center from starting production of the updated Sputnik V, but the drug will be introduced into civilian circulation only after its safety is confirmed.
How to vaccinate against COVID-19 now?
According to Ginzburg, in the current period of colds there is nothing to vaccinate against COVID-19, with the exception of Convasel, developed by specialists from the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA) of Russia, and the Novosibirsk EpiVacCorona.
At the same time, according to the specialist, it is unknown whether the antibodies produced by the N-protein of the coronavirus, which is the basis of Convasel, are capable of neutralizing the virus. “Yes, antibodies are formed, but they have nothing to do with protection,” said Gunzburg.
It may be premature to talk about the end of the pandemic in Russia
He emphasized that COVID-19 has not only been constantly present in the human population for four years, but is also evolving, changing its antigenic structure. This changes the entire infectious process, including the severity of the disease. Although the course of COVID-19 has become easier, the virus still penetrates most human cells, the academician noted.
The long-term consequences of long-term COVID-19 remain the same. That is, the number of heart attacks and strokes that occur due to infection with this virus has not decreased at all
May 15, the head of the World Health Organization announced on the lifting of the pandemic status for COVID-19, which lasted 1,150 days. According to him, the Emergency Situations Committee came to this conclusion based on the results of monitoring the coronavirus and analyzing the data received.
In September, Russia recorded a sharp increase in the incidence of COVID-19
During the week from September 11 to 17, the incidence of COVID-19 increased by 48 percent. During this period, 1,973 people were hospitalized. Most of the hospitalizations occurred in Moscow, where 590 people were hospitalized. After this, in some regions of Russia they began to return the mask regime.
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In addition, doctors and experts warned that in the 2023-2024 season, Russia could expect a triple epidemic consisting of a complex of seasonal viruses, influenza and coronavirus. At the same time, Candidate of Medical Sciences Inna Tulina noted that COVID-19 is already similar in severity to a variant of the flu, and this is not the coronavirus that was previously feared.
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