MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents is very similar to the Sputnik V jab formulation, while its side effects are reduced to a minimum, Head of the laboratory of mechanisms of population variability of pathogenic microorganisms of the Gamaleya National Research Center Vladimir Gushchin stated on Wednesday.
"This jab is very close in composition to Sputnik V, but it was specially adjusted for adolescents to obtain optimal efficiency with minimal side effects. The crucial thing is to choose a formulation which will ensure good quality," the Russian expert said at the ‘Let's Understand Vaccines Together’ educational campaign, which was organized by the Knowledge Society jointly with the #WEARETOGETHER countrywide initiative.
Gushchin also expressed hope that the COVID-19 vaccine for young people would be approved in the near future. "The essential thing you need to know is that adolescents should be inoculated. Currently, it is a worldwide practice, so in many countries, <…> mass vaccination is not reduced to adults, [the states] start to immunize adolescents. And the inoculation from five years old is now being actively discussed. In our case, the Gamaleya Research Center conducted a clinical trial, obtained all the necessary data, which allows us to assume that in the near future, the Health Ministry will complete the examination and authorize the Sputnik M jab," the Russian expert concluded.