Putin says Russia has approved 'world first' Covid-19 vaccine. But questions over its safety remain - CNN

The claim of victory by Putin in the global push to make an effective vaccine against Covid-19 comes amid suggestions that Russia has cut essential corners in its development.

So far, countries in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia have displayed the greatest interest in the vaccine, and we are about to finalize a number of contracts for the purchase of the vaccine."

Dmitriev said Phase 3 trials of the vaccine would start Wednesday in Russia, and that they would also take place in other countries.

"We have already reached agreements on conducting the relevant trials of the Gamaleya vaccine [abroad] with partners from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and a number of other countries," he said.

Safety concerns

Russia enacted a law in April which eliminated the requirement for crucial Phase 3 trials to be conducted before approval.

All volunteers developed high [tiers] of antibodies to Covid-19, while none of them showed serious complications of immunization," Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said.

Other trials underway

Russia is just one of many countries rushing to produce a vaccine for Covid-19, which has now infected more than 20 million people, killing more than 730,000 around the world.

There are 25 other vaccines in the clinical evaluation stage of development and a further 139 candidate vaccines in the preclinical evaluation stage according to the World Health Organization.

Closely watched vaccines in development include one from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca and another from the biotechnology company Moderna and the US National Institute of Health.