DISINFO: Sputnik V is the world's first coronavirus vaccine, 95% effective
SUMMARY
The Russian-made Sputnik V is the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine. The drug has a proven efficacy of over 95%.
RESPONSE
The claim advances a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative concerning the Russian-made coronovirus vaccine, Sputnik V; casting Russia as the spearhead of the global race to develop effective treatment for COVID-19.
The Russian government's approval of Sputnik V in August 2020 hardly makes it the world's first coronavirus vaccine. Serious doubts linger over both the safety and efficacy of the Russian-made jab, given the lack of transparency which accompanied the approval process and the "very strange patterns in the data" which the drug's developers submitted to The Lancet journal. In fact, Russia remains the only country which has approved a COVID-19 vaccine before the publication of Phase III efficacy data.
The claim that Sputnik V demonstrates >95% efficacy has likewise been called into question. According to Science magazine, the assertion "doesn't pass the smell test," given that the percentage is based on merely 20 cases. By comparison, the estimated efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot is based on 94 identified cases, and the clinical trials are to continue until that number reaches 164.