On Saturday, Russia saw another record number of new COVID-19 infections and deaths, with 40,251 new cases and 1,160 deaths respectively. With the government ordering a non-working week between October 30-November 7 and Moscow entering a state of semi-lockdown for 11 days with shops, schools and restaurants closed, Russia is banking on flattening the curve as its vaccination rate continues at a slow pace.
Russia is grappling with the fourth wave of COVID-19 in the country. So far, nearly half a million have losed their lives to the virus, while over eight million infections have been recorded. Russia has the highest death toll from the virus in Europe.
But, many ordinary Russians remain unwilling to get vaccinated, or stay at home. President Vladimir Putin had said he did not understand why there was vaccine hesitancy, calling the Sputnik-V a “reliable and efficient vaccine”. He likened it to a Kalashnikov for its reliability. But, the president has not called for vaccine mandates to be imposed.
Moscow has now entered a partial lockdown, with only essential workers allowed to go to work in the capital between October 28 and November 7. Non-essential workers will continue to receive salaries, with the government subsidising wages equal to the minimum wage. Restaurants and cafes will only allow delivery and take-out, and nightclubs and entertainment venues have been restricted from operating between 11pm and 6am. Residents may visit museums and some public places if they can show proof of their vaccination status via a QR-code system.
While Moscow was in partial lockdown, many made plans to travel, in a bid to benefit from the week of paid vacation.
Just over 30 per cent of Russians have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. And, as cases mount, particularly of the Delta variant, hospitals are struggling to keep up. Devadathan Nair, a Moscow-based media professional, says patients are even being admitted into the corridors as no beds are available.
On vaccine hesitancy, he says there is a common perception that the vaccines were made in a hurry with not enough clinical trials conducted, on top of fears that it could have unpredictable side effects. There are also conspiracy theories about both the virus and vaccine being part of a ploy to reduce the population, adding to this hesitancy, he noted.
A Gallup poll found that of those who were unvaccinated and who were polled, 75 per cent said they would not agree to take a free vaccine even if offered.
The Sputnik-V vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Center and promoted by the Russian Direct Investment Fund, showed 97.2 per cent efficacy following “real world data” from the Ministry of Health, the RDIF said, citing data from Belarus where over 860,000 people were vaccinated between January and July 2021.
In India, where Sputnik-V is produced by Dr Reddy’s Lab, the vaccine showed 91.6 per cent efficacy in interim results from phase 3 trials. Sputnik-V received emergency use approval by India's drug regulator in April. However, scientists from universities in the US, Netherlands, Italy, France and Russia had expressed doubts over the quality of the data, citing changes in trial protocol. The Russian scientists leading the trials said the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine had been confirmed in multiple studies.
But, outside of Russia, Sputnik-V has had relatively fewer takers compared to other COVID-19 vaccines like those made by Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca. As the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved in the world, Sputnik-V has seen adoption in over 100 countries, mostly in the developing world but also in states like Israel and the UAE. But, it has not been granted Emergency Use Listing by the World Health Organisation, which says it “continues to assess” the vaccine.
Russia is not alone: China too has seen its vaccine put to use in developing countries, but lacks wider adoption even though it has been included in WHO’s EUL. As a result, Putin joined Chinese premier Xi Jinping on Saturday in calling for more equitable treatment of their countries' vaccines. Putin lambasted “dishonest competition, protectionism” and states in the G20 that were unwilling towards mutual recognition of vaccines and vaccination certificates. Xi called for all vaccines to be treated fairly and for the promotion of mutual recognition of vaccines based on the WHO’s vaccine emergency use list.
For Russia, September was the deadliest month the country faced since the Second World War, with over 44,000 deaths recorded. With a partial lockdown and mild restrictions, Russia faces tough decisions on how it can contain the spread of the virus. The most recent update was a report that Sputnik Light, a single-dose version of the Sputnik V vaccine, would be given to those who were already vaccinated to boost immunity.
