Why Russian Covid-19 vaccine is far from ready?

Numerous reports on Sunday claimed that Moscow’s Sechenov University had completed clinical trials of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. However, the reports did not specifically mention that it was just the phase one trials that had been completed.

Phase two trials are supposed to start Monday. There is only one vaccine candidate being developed in Russia that has reached the human clinical trial stage.

That candidate, being developed by the Gamalei National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology, in partnership with the Russian Defence Ministry, had begun phase I human trials on June 18 on 18 volunteers from the armed forces.

A report by the TASS news agency of Russia on July 10 said the phase I clinical trials would end on July 15, while the second phase would begin on July 13.

“…An in-ward treatment of the first group of volunteers, who were tested for the safety and tolerability of the vaccine, will end on