US rejects Russia’s vaccine offer

Russian officials in Moscow opined they have offered ‘unprecedented cooperation’ to Operation Warp Speed (OWS), the US multi-agency body set up to accelerate access to effective Covid-19 vaccines and treatments, but the US said it is not open to the Russian medical advances.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Thursday that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the new Russian vaccine, adding that American vaccines has gone through ‘rigorous’ Phase 3 testing and it is of high standards.

Other US officials are of the opinion that the Russian vaccine is considered so half-baked in the United States, that it hadn’t even piqued US interest in a serious way before the rollout and ‘There’s no way US tries this (Russian vaccine) on monkeys, let alone people’.

Russia announced on Tuesday that it had developed a vaccine against coronavirus and President Vladimir Putin said his own daughter had received it. But tests are yet to be completed and some experts are skeptical about the claims.

More than 20 countries are in trials around the world and the race to find an effective vaccine has global implications, not just for the health of billions of people, but potential billions in revenue for the successful developer and manufacturer.

Earlier on, Russia said some US pharmaceutical companies are interested in learning about the Russian vaccine, although the names of the firms were not disclosed.

Russian officials disclosed that Russia is open to sharing information about the vaccine and that it would allow US pharmaceutical companies to produce the Russian vaccine on American soil.

Russia’s sovereign wealth fund said in a news conference on Tuesday that at least 20 countries in Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia have expressed interest in the vaccine.