DISINFO: The Russian vaccine against COVID-19 Sputnik V is ready
SUMMARY
Russia expands production of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine beyond Russia. There is great humanitarian interest in the vaccine and it is also a great business opportunity. Russia will supply the vaccine to Latin America in December, and production will be in the millions from January.
RESPONSE
The claim advances recurring pro-Kremlin narratives concerning the coronavirus pandemic and Russian superiority. The WHO recently published a landscape of candidate COVID-19 vaccines, which considered the Russian project as being in Phase 1 of clinical testing as Russia hasn’t completed large trials to test the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. The vaccine given could even be harmful to people, as its research is far from complete. See further debunking of the same topic here, here or here.