Russia to Begin COVID-19 Vaccinations for Minors Starting in September

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] COVID-19 vaccination for youth under 18 in Russia is expected to begin in September.

According to RIA Novosti, Aleksandr Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology under the local Ministry of Health, which developed the Russian COVID-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V,' stated on the 14th (local time) that "vaccinations for adolescents should start before September 20."

Gintsburg recently recommended this, citing the increasing number of children with more severe COVID-19 symptoms than before and the need to protect them.

Since Gintsburg, who developed Sputnik V, Russia's main vaccine, has significant influence on quarantine policies, it seems highly likely that adolescent vaccinations will proceed according to the schedule he announced.

So far, the Sputnik V vaccine has only been granted emergency use authorization for adults aged 18 and over. The same applies to the other three types of COVID-19 vaccines developed in Russia. Therefore, adolescents still cannot receive vaccinations.

Currently, clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine for adolescents aged 12 to 17 are underway in Moscow. Since the 5th, clinical trials have started targeting 100 participants at two specialized children's hospitals in Moscow, and on the 6th, 21 children were first administered a single dose of the two-dose vaccine.

Gintsburg explained, "(After vaccination) two children’s body temperatures rose to 37 degrees Celsius," adding, "However, this is a normal reaction and shows that the injection was of the vaccine, not saline."

Sputnik V is a COVID-19 vaccine developed and approved by Russia in August last year, the first in the world.

It was developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and supported by the local sovereign wealth fund, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), and the Ministry of Defense.

Unlike the usual vaccine development process, Sputnik V was approved based only on Phase 1 and 2 results before Phase 3 clinical trials, which at one point sparked controversy over its efficacy and safety.

However, in early February, the global medical journal The Lancet published Phase 3 results showing the vaccine’s preventive efficacy reached 91.6%, leading to a more positive evaluation.

Currently, 67 countries including Russia have approved the use of this vaccine, and the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) are also conducting approval procedures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.