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China Speeding Up COVID Vaccine Registration Shows Many States Follow Russia's Lead, RDIF Head Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - China's fast-tracked registration of coronavirus vaccines is representative of how more and more countries are picking up Russia's lead, which was the first to register a COVID-10 vaccine earlier this month, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said on Friday.
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"The registration of the Sinovac vaccine against coronavirus infection in China under the accelerated procedure for emergency use shows that many countries are following Russia's approach in this matter. China is protecting its doctors and teachers according to the Russian model by providing vaccines for high-risk groups," Dmitriev told journalists.

According to the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, more than 10 countries are currently pursuing fast-track registration of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics.

"Now more than 10 RDIF partner countries are studying Russian experience for accelerated registration of drugs and vaccines against coronavirus with proven safety, based on proven solutions, such as the human adenovirus used in the Russian Sputnik V vaccine," Dmitriev said.

The Chinese government gave a patent approval to its own domestically-produced candidate vaccine, Sinovac, last week.

The day before, Russia's Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said that three more vaccines against the coronavirus are currently in the process of registration in Russia.

On 11 August, the Russian government officially registered Sputnik V as the world's first vaccine against COVID-19.

Although the vaccine is still going through the third — and last — phase of clinical trials, as per the protocols of the World Health Organisation, Russian health officials have said it has proven that it has the capability to produce stable immunity against the coronavirus.

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On Tuesday, the Gamaleya Research Centre, which developed the vaccine jointly with the Russian Defence Ministry, received permission to conduct post-registration clinical trials of the coronavirus drug.

Despite the fact that the Russian Ministry of Health stressed that Sputnik V had undergone all the necessary checks and had been proven to be capable of building immunity against the virus, Western countries and mainstream media rushed to claim that the vaccine was unsafe and ineffective.

The Russian health minister has stated that all the foreign criticism was provoked by the fear of fair competition and slammed the accusations as unfounded.

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