Coronavirus: why are Russians sceptical of Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine?

Kremlin officials touted the Russian-made vaccine as a major achievement after it was approved on August 11

But among Russians, hope that the shot would reverse the course of the pandemic has become mixed with wariness and distrust

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A medical worker finishes the procedure after administering a shot of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Moscow. Photo: AP

Published: 11:45pm, 17 Dec 2020Updated: 12:23am, 18 Dec 2020

While excitement and enthusiasm greeted the Western-developed coronavirus vaccine when it was rolled out, the Russian-made version has received a mixed response, with reports of empty Moscow clinics that offered the shot to health care workers and teachers – the first members of the public designated to receive it.

Kremlin officials and state-controlled media touted the Sputnik V vaccine as a major achievement after it was approved on August 11. But among Russians, hope that the shot would reverse the course of the Covid-19 crisis has become mixed with wariness and scepticism, reflecting concerns about how it was rushed out while still in its late-stage testing to ensure its effectiveness and safety.

Russia faced international criticism for approving a vaccine that hasn’t completed advanced trials among tens of thousands of people, and experts both at home and abroad warned against its wider use until the studies are completed.

People are dying here every day. Every day, we carry out corpses. What’s there to think about?

Dr Marina Pecherkina, infectious disease specialist

Despite those warnings, authorities started offering it to certain high-risk groups, such as frontline medical workers, within weeks of approval. Alexander Gintsburg, head of the Gamaleya Institute that developed the vaccine, said last week over 150,000 Russians have got it.

One recipient was Dr Alexander Zatsepin, an ICU specialist in Voronezh, a city 500km south of Moscow, who received the vaccine in October.

“We’ve been working with Covid-19 patients since March, and every day when we come home, we worry about infecting our family members. So when some kind of opportunity to protect them and myself appeared, I thought it should be used,” he said.

But Zatsepin said he still takes precautions against infection because studies of the vaccine’s effectiveness aren’t over.