© Reuters / Shamil ZhumatovA spectator watches the Proryv (Breakthrough) extreme sports festival in Moscow on December 5, 2020.
The short and seemingly upbeat comment from the health watchdog boss, Anna Popova, came on Saturday during a TV program called 'Dangerous virus. Year one' on Russia's channel 1.
"It will end by spring, and if we try, it may end earlier. It depends on how everyone acts today," Popova said.
She didn't elaborate on her prediction, but it was included in a montage of health officials discussing the vaccination timeline and herd immunity developing against coronavirus.
While the assertion is likely to give hope to a country suffering from the ever-spreading virus — over 50,000 have died of the disease since the beginning of the year - not everyone was quite as optimistic. Speaking on the same TV program, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin warned that the country would be fighting Covid-19 "for a long time," with the most severe period just around the corner.
Comment: Is one inclined to believe the health watchdog or the Moscow's Mayor? We'll just have to wait and see.
Last week, it was revealed that more than 150,000 Russians have already been vaccinated with the pioneering Sputnik V jab, which officials said is more than any other country. The vaccination is slowly being opened up to more and more categories of citizens, with another million Muscovites eligible for the jab starting next week.
Comment: They may be eligible but more than 70% of Russians polled have stated outright they DO NOT want ANY coronavirus vaccination. And some experts have been saying all along that they're totally unnecessary: No second-wave of coronavirus in Russia, head of Genomic Engineering Lab in Moscow explains why
Russia has officially registered 2,848,377 cases of Covid-19 as of this weekend, with over 612,000 people currently under medical supervision. Compared to the rest of the world, the country has the fourth most detected cases, behind the US, India, and Brazil.
Creators of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine sign Putin-backed deal with UK pharma giant AstraZeneca in bid to boost efficacy
© Global Look Press / via www.imago-images.deFILE PHOTO.
The partnership, originally proposed by the Russian team over Twitter and announced at the start of December, will see the pharma giant trial its Covid-19 vaccine candidate in combination with the Russian-made Sputnik-V jab.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with drug company bosses via video link on Monday morning, congratulating them on reaching the agreement. He said that "this attitude towards partnership today can serve as a good, convincing example of combining scientific forces, technology, investment for a common goal - to protect the lives, health and safety of millions of people on the planet as a whole."
Clinical trials will now determine whether AstraZeneca's formula can produce better results by incorporating elements of Sputnik V. The Russian offering, its creators say, has proven effective in 95 percent of participants given two shots as part of clinical trials. In November, AstraZeneca said its own vaccine had shown a 70 percent efficacy average. It is hoped that trials using the two different formulas together will improve that figure.
Comment: It sounds like a very bad idea. But, perhaps more objective information about both vaccines will come to light through this collaboration: 7 disturbing questions AstraZeneca needs to answer about its Covid-19 vaccine as it pushes for emergency authorization
Speaking last week at his annual end-of-year press conference, President Putin told journalists he was optimistic about the prospects of a partnership, welcoming the fact that "Astra Zeneca is ready to work with us," and adding that "it's very pleasing when specialists join forces like this. The result will be good not only for our citizens, but for the whole world."
Previously, only medical workers and teachers were eligible to sign up, but those working in transport, energy, industry and the media can now register to receive the jab
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