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Coronavirus pandemic

Joint trials of Sputnik V and AstraZeneca will begin shortly, says Russian expert

Ginzburg explained that the second component of the vaccine is important because it boosts the effect of the first component and impacts creation of memory cells

MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. The Gamaleya Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology will begin joint trials of COVID-19 vaccines with the Oxford University and the UK-Swedish company AstraZeneca shortly, head of the Gamaleya Research Center Alexander Ginzburg said on Thursday.

"Our English colleagues and AstraZeneca only have one component, they do not have an efficient boosting component. As our colleagues have shown, if the first component is used a second time, there is an improvement [in immunity], but an insignificant one, so the Russian Direct Investment Fund and AstraZeneca have agreed that clinical trials can be held which would use the component developed at Oxford as the first shot and the component forming part of the Sputnik V vaccine as the second one," Ginzburg said in an interview with Rossiya-24 channel.

"As far as I understand, these clinical trials will begin shortly, and then our foreign colleagues will have a very effective vaccine that can be considered a result of joint efforts," he added.

Ginzburg explained that the second component of the vaccine is important because it boosts the effect of the first component and impacts creation of memory cells. "We created two components of the vaccine [Sputnik V] at once, the second component boosts the effect of the first one, and not only does it boost it, it gives an additional possibility to hope for the creation of memory cells that will protect us for a long time as a result of repeat vaccination," he noted.

Earlier, AstraZeneca informed that it would launch trials in cooperation with the Gamaleya Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, the Russian Direct Investment Fund and R-Pharm on combining its own COVID-19 vaccine and the Russian-made "Sputnik V" vaccine.

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Putin stays in daily contact with Sergey Shoigu, Kremlin spokesman says

Timur Ivanov was arrested by Moscow’s Basmanny Court

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Israel retaliates missile launches from Gaza Strip — IDF

A warning had been issued before the attack calling on people to temporarily evacuate from the area

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Apty Alaudinov added that if the Ukrainian army received long-range weapons, it might try to attack Russia's civilian infrastructure due to its powerlessness on the front

Biden administration raking it in from Ukrainian conflict — North Korean diplomat

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Ukrainian presidential office confirms London’s agrement to Zaluzhny as ambassador

Verkhovna Rada legislator Alexey Goncharenko said on Monday that the UK had granted its agrement to the Ukrainian former Commander-in-Chief

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Ukrainian army strikes own surrendering soldiers — POW

Andrey Babenko said that after a crash course in Britain he had been sent to the frontline near Liman

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US military aid for Kiev cannot stop Russian army’s advance — North Korean diplomat

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Global community changing tune about how Ukraine conflict started — security official

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North Korea’s economic delegation leaves for Iran — agency

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Top Russian security official pledges continued push toward global justice

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Drone crashes in industrial zone in Russian city of Lipetsk

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Russian envoy, authorities of Afghanistan call for unfreezing of Afghan assets

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Hamas threatens that hostages remaining in Gaza may go missing

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Ukrainian connection to Crocus terrorist attack undeniable — ex-SBU officer

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US Senate approves aid bills for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan

As many as 79 senators backed the initiative and 18 voted against

Gagauzian leader on unity of Moldova’s opposition, ability to watch Russian TV channels

Yevgenia Gutsul underlined that Gagauzia plans to start exporting products to Russia in the near future

Biden to sign Ukraine aid bill on April 24

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Russia has significant amount of West’s funds in case of confiscation of its assets

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Ukrainian forces refuse to obey Commander-in-Chief Syrsky — CIA ex-analyst

Larry Johnson also noted that the Russian forces manage to advance recently despite the slush on the roads

Modern weapons make up 82% in Russian air defense troops — Shoigu

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Kremlin vows legal action against US bill on seizing Russian assets

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Putin informed about detention of Deputy Defense Minister Ivanov

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Russian troops destroy four boats with Ukrainian assault force on Dnieper River

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Top Swiss diplomat reiterates need for Russia’s involvement in resolving Ukraine issue

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World needs unified norms in cyberspace — Putin

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US using human rights topics to shake political situation in Russia — embassy

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Mexicans, Colombians recruited in US jails to be deployed in Ukraine — SVR

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Russia presents world’s first hydrogen-fueled luxury car at Innoprom exhibition

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US can ship weapons to Ukraine within few days if funding approved — Pentagon

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Ukrainian troops in Kharkov Region lift antennas with kites to get better signal

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