Russia's Vaccine Claims Come With Little Evidence, Incomplete Testing

Russia's Vaccine Claims Come With Little Evidence, Incomplete Testing

By James Packard

By James Packard
August 11, 2020

August 11, 2020

Russian President Vladimir Putin touted a breakthrough with a homegrown vaccine. But experts are deeply skeptical, and the testing process isn't over.

SHOW TRANSCRIPT

Russia is planning to start "mass vaccination" against the coronavirus in October. But they're using a vaccine with little public safety evidence, and experts are deeply skeptical about the rushed process.

TRENDING IN World NEWS

A health worker administers a dose of a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic in Philadelphia.

Fauci: U.S. Cases Remain 'Disturbingly High' Despite Race To Vaccinate

Seized South Korean ship is escorted by Iranian military boats on the Persian Gulf.

Tasnim News Agency via AP

Iran Frees Seized South Korean Ship Amid Dispute Over Funds

Prince Philip, who died Friday at the age of 99.

Prince Philip, Husband To Queen Elizabeth II, Dies At Age 99

Crowd At Buckingham Palace Reacts To Death Of Prince Philip

Ash rises into the air as La Soufriere volcano erupts on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent.

Orvil Samuel / AP

Volcano Erupts On Caribbean Island

People stand still as a two-minute siren sounds in memory of victims of the Holocaust, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Oded Balilty / AP

Holocaust Remembrance Day In Israel

Viewing platform of the Olympics Tower in Beijing, China.

Andy Wong / AP

China Warns U.S. Not To Boycott 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaking during a weekly cabinet meeting

U.S. Officials Say First Day Of Talks With Iran Were Constructive

The cargo ship, Eemslift Hendrika, sway abandoned off the coast of Norway after engine failure

Norway Coast Guard / AP

Crew From Distressed Ship Rescued From 50-Foot Waves Near Norway

A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

Charlie Riedel / AP

U.K. Begins Rollout Of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine

Candlelight vigil for victims of Ukrainian plane crash

Ebrahim Noroozi / AP

Iranian Officials Indicted In Shooting Down Of Ukrainian Plane

Jordan's Prince Hamzeh and his wife Princess Noor

HUSSEIN MALLA / AP

Jordan Prince Says He's Still Loyal To Brother After Coup Allegations

State Department spokesman Ned Price

Carolyn Kaster / AP

U.S., Iran To Begin Indirect Talks In Vienna

Families of Taiwanese train crash victims

Chiang Ying-ying / AP

Funerals Begin For Victims Of Taiwanese Train Crash

Prince Hamza Bin Al-Hussein, right, and Prince Hashem Bin Al-Hussein.

MOHAMMAD ABU GHOSH / AP

Jordan Says It Prevented A Plot To Destabilize The Country

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a hearing.

Abir Sultan / AP

Israeli Prime Minister Is Back In Court

Pope Francis blesses attendees at Easter mass

Filippo Monteforte / AP

Pope Francis Pushes for Equitable Vaccination Distribution

Police patrol on a truck along Hledan road at Kamaryouk township in Yangon, Myanmar

Myanmar Military Cuts Off Country's Broadband Internet

Iranian diplomats attending a virtual talk on nuclear deal with representatives of world powers

Iranian Foreign Ministry / The Associated Press

World Powers Ready To Welcome U.S. Back To Iran Nuclear Deal

A passenger, center, is helped to climb out of a derailed train in Hualien County in eastern Taiwan.

hsnews.com.tw / AP

Train Crash In Taiwan Kills At Least 51

An investigation into a clifftop massacre in Ethiopia's Tigray region.

Jennifer Smart / Newsy

Shedding Light On A Clifftop Massacre In Ethiopia

Pro-democracy activist holds signs outside a Hong Kong courthouse.

Vincent Yu / AP

7 Pro-Democracy Advocates Convicted In Hong Kong For Roles In Protests

A man wearing a face mask as he walks by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

Michel Euler / AP

France Imposes Third National Lockdown As COVID-19 Cases Surge

Legislative Council in Hong Kong, China

Vincent Yu / AP

China Cuts Legislative Seats In Hong Kong

South African woman receives Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Themba Hadebe / AP

Johnson & Johnson To Provide African Union With 200M Vaccines

Anti-coup protesters use garbage to block a road as a form of "silent protest" in Yangon, Myanmar.

Myanmar Protesters Hold "Garbage Strike"

Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship blocks the Suez Canal

Mohamed Elshahed / AP

Giant Container Ship Set Free In Suez Canal

Excavation work in an atempt to free the cargo ship MV Ever Given that is stuck in the Suez Canal.

Maxar Technologies / AP

Stuck Cargo Ship in Egypt's Suez Canal 'Partially Refloated'

Police officers inspect the area near a church where an explosion went off in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Bombing Kills 2, Injures 20 After Palm Sunday Mass In Indonesia

Graphic of vaccine needle

KGTV: What We Know About The COVID-19 Variant In Brazil

Anti-coup protesters gesture with a three-fingers salute during a police crackdown in Yangon.

More Than 100 Killed In Myanmar As Military Cracks Down on Protests

A Chinese paramilitary police officer stands guard outside the British Embassy in Beijing

Mark Schiefelbein / The Associated Press

China Sanctions Britons In Response To Western Criticism

Migrants wait in a Reynosa, Mexico park

In The Park Where Families Expelled To Mexico Wait, Fearing Kidnapping

image provided by Youm7 shows crowds of people gathered around mangled train carriages

Egypt Train Crash Kills At Least 32 People

The cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt.

Cnes2021, Distribution Airbus DS / AP

Suez Canal Still Blocked By Cargo Ship

CDC: Cruise Regulations Staying In Place Until November

U.K. Court Hearing For Mastercard Begins

Banksy painting honoring U.K. health care workers

Banksy Painting Sells For A Record $23.2 Million

People lined up to receive the newly suspended Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Hong Kong, China..

Vincent Yu / AP

Hong Kong Suspends Use Of Pfizer Vaccine, Cites Defective Packaging

House surrounded by flood waters in Australia.

Mark Baker / AP

Thousands Ordered To Evacuate As Extreme Floods Hit Australia

Flavia Cappellini

Italy Faces Another National Lockdown As COVID Cases Surge

An Uyghur woman with her children

Andy Wong / AP

China Sanctioned Over Treatment Of Uyghur Muslims

Pedestrian walks by graffiti reading "Lockdown Madness" in Berlin, Germany.

Markus Schreiber / AP

Germany Extends COVID-19 Lockdown As New Infections Spike

Royal Caribbean International cruise ship

Brynn Anderson / AP

Royal Caribbean Will Resume Cruises This Summer

State Emergency Service personnel gather at the entrance to a submerged bridge surrounded by water

Rick Rycroft / AP

Australia Hit By Severe Floods

Yair Lapid and Benjamin Netanyahu on a billboard for Israel's election

Israel Prepares For Another Election

District of Columbia Fire Boat checks buoys in the waterway next to Fort McNair

Jacquelyn Martin / AP

Iran Reportedly Planned Attack On Fort McNair

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin

Manish Swarup / AP

New Defense Secretary Tours Afghanistan Amid Military Exit Pressures

People walk past a monument as flags fly at half-staff on a national day of mourning for Italy's COVID-19 death

Cecilia Fabiano / LaPresse / AP

Italy Mourns More Than 100,000 Deaths

U.S. and Chinese flags

Alaska Summit Is Icy Opener To President Biden's Biggest Global Test

Luke Hanrahan

How Infecting Volunteers On Purpose Might Help Fight Against COVID

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken,

Kim Kyung-hoon / Reuters Pool / AP

Blinken, Austin Focused On North Korea's Nuclear Program

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian.

Andy Wong / AP

U.S. Sanctions 24 Additional Chinese Officials Ahead Of Meeting

Vial of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine

Experts Worry AstraZeneca Sidelining Will Compound Vaccine Hesitancy

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

Eraldo Peres / AP

Brazil Names Fourth Health Minister Since Pandemic Began

Chinese medical worker

Mark Schiefelbein / AP

China Approves Fourth COVID Vaccine

People march across Westminster bridge in England

Matt Dunham / AP

London Protesters March For Woman Killed By Police

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine bottles.

Frank Augstein / AP

Sweden Joins List Of Nations Halting AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine

Pope Francis incenses the altar

Tiziana Fabi / Pool AFP / AP

LGBTQ Catholics Say Vatican Move Is 'Crushing'

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meet with their Japanese counterparts

Kazuhiro Nogi / AP

U.S., Japan Share Concern Over North Korea, China

U.S. Army soldiers and South Korean soldiers take their positions during a demonstration.

North Korea Warns U.S. Not To 'Cause A Stink'

AstraZeneca vaccine

Alessandra Tarantino / AP

Several EU Countries Suspend AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine Use

Tiziana Fabi / AP

Vatican Says Catholic Churches Cannot Bless Gay Marriages

People commuting amid a sandstorm in Beijing, Chiina.

Andy Wong / AP

Apocalyptic Skies In China Amid Worst Sandstorm In A Decade

Anti-coup protesters display signs during a protest against the military coup in Mandalay, Myanmar.

Military Imposes Martial Law In Myanmar

Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference at the State Department

Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

Secretary of State, Defense Secretary In Tokyo

A mass COVID-19 vaccination site in Chicago

AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar

Global Study Finds Young Adults At Higher Risk Of Mental Health Issues

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Alexei Druzhinin / The Associated Press

Putin Calls Attack On Capitol 'A Stroll To The U.S. Congress'

Activists flash three-finger symbol of resistance during a protest against the military coup in Myanmar

Tatan Syuflana / The Associated Press

U.N. Calls For Myanmar Military To Stop Violence Against Protesters

A growing marijuana plant.

Ed Andrieski / AP

Morocco Pursues Legalizing Medical Marijuana

Inventory dwindles at a grocery store in Denver, Colorado as a winter storm approaches.

David Zalubowski / AP

Potentially Historic Blizzard To Hit Parts Of Rockies, High Plains

A rainbow flag flutters in the wind at the financial quarter in Brussels.

Francisco Seco / AP

European Parliament Declares EU LGBTQ "Freedom Zone"

President Joe Biden sits in the Oval Office of the White House.

Andrew Harnik / AP

"Quad" Leaders Meeting To Discuss China

Anti-coup protesters scatter after police fire sound grenades and fire rubber bullets in Yangon, Myanmar

U.N. Condemns Violence In Myanmar

A woman receives the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from a health staff member at a vaccination center in South Africa.

Themba Hadebe / AP

Advocates Want Wealthy Nations To Help Poorer Ones Get Vaccine Access

Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation shares video of a Russian bombing,

New Evidence Of Russian Air Strikes On Syrian Hospitals

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan.

Hiro Komae / AP

Japan Marks 10 Years Since Fukushima

A Honduran teenager is taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol agents crossing the U.S. near San Diego, Calif.

AP Photo/Moises Castillo

Why Are So Many Migrant Kids Trekking Alone To The U.S. Border?

British television host Piers Morgan

Jonathan Brady / PA / AP

Piers Morgan Leaves 'Good Morning Britain'

A Long March-5 rocket carrying the Chang'e 5 lunar mission lifts off.

Mark Schiefelbein / AP

China, Russia To Build Lunar Station Possibly On The Moon

A meeting of Generation Identity members

Generation Identity YouTube

The Viral Global Movement Giving U.S. White Nationalists A Boost

Woman receives vaccine

AP / Marco Ugarte

Mexico Relies On New Chinese Vaccines To Fight COVID-19

A member of the Uyghur community living in Turkey, joins a protest against China

Omer Kuscu / AP

New Report Details Human Rights Violations Against Uyghur Muslims

Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

Andrew Medichini / AP

Brazil Justice Tosses Out Former President Lula's Sentences

Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont

Jean-Francois Badias / AP

EU Lawmakers Lift Immunity Of 3 Catalan Separatists

Demonstrators march in Mexico for International Women's Day

Rebecca Blackwell / AP

Women March For Equality On International Women's Day

Secretary of State Antony Blinken

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AP

U.S. Proposes Peace Agreement For Afghan Government

AP / Harpo Productions

Brits Shocked By Interview With Prince Harry and Meghan

Pictures of teen girls from "Girlhood" book.

Algonquin Young Readers / "Girlhood"

Empowering Girls Around The World Through Storytelling

Pope Francis waves to faithful as he arrives for an open air Mass at a stadium in Irbil, Iraq.

Hadi Mizban / AP

Pope Francis Ends Epic Tour Of Iraq

Prince Harry, from left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in conversation with Oprah Winfrey.

Joe Pugliese / Harpo Productions / AP

Prince Harry, Meghan Chat With Oprah

Pope Francis Ends Iraq Tour, Urging Christians To Forgive And Rebuild

An empty classroom as the school prepares for its reopening on March 8

Jon Super / AP

U.K. PM Johnson Says 'We're Ready' As Schools Set To Open Monday

Pope Francis leaves Mar Youssef Church in Baghdad on Saturday.

Pope Francis Meets With Top Iraqi Shiite Leader In Show Of Solidarity

Hole in California-Mexico border fence

Desperate Migrants Flood System, Ignoring WH Pleas Not To Come

Pope Francis in Baghdad

AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

Pope Francis Starts Historic Iraq Trip To Boost Fading Christians