Is Sputnik V safe to use as a Covid-19 Vaccine?

The current situation in Sri Lanka is critical, with people self-isolating out of fear. The country is on the brink of a disaster if vaccination is not resumed immediately.

The increasing number of daily reported COVID-19 cases has prompted the Sri Lankan government to approve using the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V.

This decision was made due to the significant issue of receiving the anticipated doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine caused by the health turmoil in India.

The Colombo north suburb, identified as a high-risk zone, has been selected to administer the Sputnik V Vaccine.

Sri Lanka has recently received 15,000 Sputnik V vaccines from Russia to combat the pandemic.

The origin of Sputnik V 

Gam-COVID-Vac, known as Sputnik V, was developed by the state-owned Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow and financed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).

It is a viral vector vaccine similar to those developed by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

How does it work?

Like the other vector vaccines, Sputnik V uses a cold-type virus modified to be harmless as a carrier to deliver a small amount of coronavirus to the human body.

In this way, the human body is expected to be safely exposed to the coronavirus’s genetic code, recognize the risk, and fight against it. 

After the Vaccine has been given, the human body starts to produce antibodies against the Covid-19 virus.

The vaccine is used to prime the human body to fight against coronavirus if it encounters it.

Effective rate of Sputnik V 

Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) initially confirmed Sputnik V’s 97.6% efficacy.

However, many scientists worldwide, including some in Russia, also doubted the reliability of the above numerical figure.

The effectiveness of other accepted vector vaccines is 76% for AstraZeneca and 85.4% for J&J.

When data transparency was continuously questioned globally, Russia once again claimed an efficacy rate of 91.6% with no severe side effects, according to the results of the last stage trial published in the Lancet.

Countries approved the use of Sputnik V. 

As per DW’s research, around 60 states have approved using the Russian Vaccine Sputnik V in their territories.

India, Iran, Sri Lanka, and Palestine territories are some of the states that have approved this Russian Vaccine.

Even though the European Medical Agency (EMA) has not approved the Vaccine, some European countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia, have already granted emergency national approvals to bring the Vaccine to their particular countries.

This global approval is a testament to the Vaccine’s potential.

Controversy of Sputnik V

Unlike other vector vaccines, the original Sputnik V vaccine is designed with two slightly different doses, not identical two doses.

Administering two doses within 21 days is expected to strengthen the immune system and provide a longer-lasting effect.  

Global News recently reported that the Argentinian President, Alberto Fernandez, tested positive for COVID-19 in April 2021, even after taking two doses of Sputnik V earlier this year.

This incident, along with the Vaccine’s unique design and the declared different efficacy rates, raises some concerns about the Russian Vaccine’s reliability. 

Why Sputnik V is important to Sri Lanka?

After the second wave of COVID-19, Sri Lanka came to a low-risk status, where the average number of daily reported Covid-19 cases was around 200.

But, this somewhat controlled situation turned upside down with the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations.

During the festive period, people forgot all the health protocols and self-discipline by shopping in crowded places and gathering socially without adhering to advised health guidelines.

As a result of that irresponsible behavior, Sri Lanka is now at a critical point in its entire health history. The daily reported COVID-19 cases have increased to an average of 2000.

The Sri Lankan government has fast-tracked its ongoing vaccination process to save the country from significant health turmoil.

However, due to the grave health situation in India, the requested vaccines are expected to be delayed for an unknown period. 

That’s where the Russian Vaccine, Sputnik V, comes into play. It offers a ray of hope in these challenging times.

It can be given to the non-vaccinated population and used as the second dose for the 925,000 people vaccinated with the first dose of AstraZeneca Covishield.

Further, the Russian Vaccine can be stored easily without maintaining an extremely low temperature, and the development of Sputnik light, which comes as a single dose at a more affordable price, are some of the facts that ignite the hope of using it.

However, it is suggested that we pay attention to the odds associated with Sputnik V, as no vaccine is 100% efficacious against COVID-19.