Feb 2, 2021
A health care worker prepares a dose of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, at the Del Norte Hospital in El Alto, Bolivia. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian scientists say the country’s Sputnik V vaccine appears safe and effective against COVID-19, according to early results of an advanced study published in a British medical journal.
The news is a boost for the shot that is increasingly being purchased by nations around the world who are desperate to stop the devastation caused by the pandemic.
Researchers say based on their trial, which involved about 20,000 people in Russia last fall, the vaccine is about 91 percent effective and that the shot also appeared to prevent people from becoming severely ill with COVID-19. The study was published online today in the journal, Lancet.