Russia’s coronavirus vaccine ‘could worsen pandemic’

Large-scale immunisation prior to phase 3 trials could cause more harm than good, scientists warn
Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The international science community has warned that Russia’s expedited approval of a vaccine to curb COVID-19 could worsen the pandemic and undermine public trust in vaccines.

Overnight, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had become the first country to approve and register a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 after just two months of human studies.