Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine is 92 percent effective, according to initial test results, its developers said on Wednesday, as Moscow races against its competitors in the West.

The calculations were based on results from 16,000 individuals who received both doses of the vaccine, Russia’s Health Ministry, the state-run Gamaleya research center, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said in a statement.

“The Sputnik V vaccine had an efficacy rate of 92 percent after the second dose,” the statement said, after 20 of the volunteers — some of whom were given the placebo — tested positive for the coronavirus.

The adenovirus vector-based vaccine uses modified viruses of the regular flu.

Some of those vaccinated experienced “pain at the injection site, flu-like syndrome including fever, weakness, fatigue, and headache,” the statement said.

Russia in August became the first country to register a coronavirus vaccine but did so ahead of the large-scale clinical trials that are still underway.

Forty thousand volunteers at 29 medical centers are taking part in the third and final phase of Sputnik V trials.

Source: Presstv