‘Russia offered COVID-19 vaccine because PH is its priority partner in Asia Pacific region’

With reference to Michael L. Tan’s article, “Vaccines and social solidarity” (Pinoy Kasi, 8/26/20), I would like to share with you some links to the interviews of Mr. Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, which developed the first COVID-19 vaccine SPUTNIK V, and Mr. Kirill Dmitriev, director general of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).

According to well-known scientist Mr. Gintsburg, the Russian vaccine is based on a well-researched scientific platform called adenovirus human vector. The same platform was used to develop vaccines against Ebola and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). It allowed Russia to create the Ebola vaccine within a short period of time, which later was highly assessed by the World Health Organization.

The technologies similar to the one used to create SPUTNIK V have been employed by the US Army for producing various vaccines for soldiers since the 1970s.

Since Aug. 21, the RDIF and the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST), responsible for clinical trial, have started exchanging technical information on SPUTNIK V that was confirmed by Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director, the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, DOST (Aug. 25, 2020, The Manila Standard, “PH mulls Sputnik vaccine trial”).

I think you may ask the DOST to provide some information on the Russian vaccine.

For better understanding and to learn more about the technical details of SPUTNIK, you may also visit the website sputnikvaccine.com.

It is my professional and moral duty to clarify that Russia offered establishing COVID-19 cooperation with the Philippines not because it is a “poorer country” as mentioned in Mr. Tan’s article, but because the Philippines is our priority partner in the Asia Pacific Region.

Just for your reference, as of now more than 20 countries have officially declared their willingness to closely cooperate with Russia in terms of clinical trials, purchase, and setting up production of SPUTNIK V.

The links:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Flmwxf1ylf3YHHN-6k6eDY7r2UEVMirr?usp=sharing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg9ZM7NQFrw&feature=youtu.be

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1719931/business-economy

Vladislav Mongush
First Secretary
The Embassy of the Russian Federation to the Philippines