Sputnik V vaccine 92% effective on COVID-19: Russia institute
Hyderabad:: Sputnik V vaccine for COVID-19, being developed by Russia's Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, has demonstrated an efficacy rate of 92 percent.
The confirmation is based on the first interim data from the largest randomized, placebo-controlled Phase-III clinical trials in Russia involving 40,000 volunteers, a press release from Gamaleya, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said.
The trials evaluated the efficacy among over 16,000 volunteers who received the vaccine or placebo 21 days after the first injection.
As a result of a statistical analysis of 20 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the case split between vaccinated individuals and those who received the placebo indicating that the Sputnik V vaccine had an efficacy rate of 92 percent after the second dose, the release said.
In September 2020, Dr. Reddys and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russias sovereign wealth fund, entered into a partnership to conduct clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine and its distribution in India.
As part of the partnership, RDIF shall supply 100 million doses of the vaccine to Dr.Reddys upon regulatory approval in India.
On August 11, 2020, the Sputnik V vaccine was registered by the Ministry of Health of Russia and became the world's first registered vaccine against COVID-19 based on the human adenoviral vectors platform.
Separately, in September the vaccine was first administered to a group of volunteers from the 'red zones' of Russian hospitals.
The observation of additional 10,000 vaccinated volunteers representing medics and other high-risk groups under the civil use of the vaccine out of clinical trials also confirmed the vaccine's efficacy rate of over 90 percent, the release added.
As of November 11, as part of the clinical trials in Russias 29 medical centers, more than 20,000 volunteers were vaccinated with the first dose and over 16,000 volunteers with the first and the second dose of the vaccine.
In addition, as on the date, no unexpected adverse events were identified as part of the research.
Some of those vaccinated had short-term minor adverse effects such as pain at the injection site, flu-like syndrome, including fever, weakness, fatigue, and headache, according to the release.
Alexander Gintsburg, director of Gamaleya Centre, said the publication of the interim results of the post-registration clinical trials that convincingly demonstrate Sputnik V vaccines efficacy gives way to mass vaccination in Russia against COVID-19 in the coming weeks."
Thanks to the production scale-up at new manufacturing sites, the Sputnik V vaccine would soon be available for a wider population, he said.
"This will break the current trend and lead to an eventual decrease in COVID-19 infection rates, first in Russia, then globally," he said.
Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE on Monday said their vaccine candidate was found to be more than 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19.
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SC will share cause lists, info about filing and listing of cases through WhatsApp: CJI
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court will start sharing information relating to cause lists, and filing and listing of cases to advocates through WhatsApp messages, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud announced on Thursday.
The announcement was made by the CJI before a nine-judge bench headed by him commenced the hearing on a vexed legal question arising from the petitions whether private properties can be considered "material resources of the community" under Article 39(b) of the Constitution, which is a part of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).
"In the 75th year, the Supreme Court launches an initiative to strengthen access to justice by integration of WhatsApp messages with the IT services of the Supreme Court," the CJI said.
Now, the advocates will receive automated messages about filing the cases, he said, adding that the members of the bar will also get the cause lists, as and when they are published, on mobile phones.
A cause list features the cases to be heard by a court on a given day.
"This is another revolutionary step...," Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said.
The CJI also shared the top court's official WhatsApp number and said it will not be receiving any messages and calls.
"This will bring a significant change in our working habits and will go a long way in saving papers," Justice Chandrachud said.
The top court under the leadership of CJI Chandrachud has been taking steps to digitise the functioning of the judiciary.
He said the Centre has sanctioned Rs 7,000 crore for the e-court project.
The solicitor general shared the views of the central government and said it was committed to the digitisation of the judiciary to enhance the access for common litigants and lawyers.
