The results of the final third phase of clinical trials of the Russian vaccine “Sputnik V” demonstrated 91.6% effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2. The findings, which are reported in a press release received by the editorial board of Lenta.ru, are disclosed in the leading medical journal Lancet.
19,866 people took part in testing the vaccine, who received the first and second doses of the drug or a placebo. By the end of the study, 78 cases of COVID-19 had been reported. For people over 60 years of age, the effectiveness of Sputnik V was 91.8 percent, which did not differ statistically from the data obtained in a group of volunteers from 18 to 60 years old.
It is noted that the vaccine provides full protection against severe cases of coronavirus infection. Only 20 people who received a placebo developed severe COVID-19. 98 percent of the subjects developed humoral immunity, and 100 percent – cellular immunity. At the same time, the level of neutralizing antibodies in those who are vaccinated is higher than that of those who have been ill.
“The world currently needs all the good COVID-19 vaccines it can get. And these are impressive results: Sputnik V is the first human adenovirus vector vaccine to reach the 90 percent efficacy threshold, like two other mRNA vaccines, ”said University of East Anglia professor of medical microbiology David Livermore.
Most of the side effects were mild and were expressed by general malaise, headache, low temperature and reactions at the injection site. There are no severe allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock.
