Commentary: What happened to Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine?
SINGAPORE: Every bit China and America trade barbs over the South Mainland china Sea, and coronavirus infections surge beyond the region, Southeast Asia at present has the dubious stardom of being at the epicentre of both great power contest and the COVID-xix pandemic.
Unsurprisingly, the contestants in this geopolitical power play accept been using vaccine affairs to score points off each other.
The main protagonists are, of course, the U.s.a. and Mainland china. A war of words has erupted between them over the efficacy of their respective vaccines and which state has been more generous towards Southeast Asia.
Late from the starting blocks, America seems to have taken the lead: Its cutting-edge mRNA vaccines appear to be more than effective against the more transmissible Delta variant than China's inactivated vaccines like Sinovac and Sinopharm.
And while Beijing boasts it has delivered more vaccines to Southeast Asia than America (190 one thousand thousand doses versus 20 million), Washington has pointed out that most of its doses have been provided free of charge.
Some other player in Southeast Asia's game of vaccine affairs is Russia. Information technology considers itself to be a great ability and has been trying to up its game in the region.
Still despite developing an effective vaccine, it has fared poorly compared to Mainland china and the United states. What went wrong?
TRUST ISSUES WITH SPUTNIK Five
Russia was the offset country to authorise the use of a COVID-19 vaccine － Sputnik V in August 2020.
The Gamaleya Establish, which developed the vaccine, initially claimed a 91.6 per cent efficacy rate and then 97.6 per cent in a existent-world written report.
In June, Gamaleya said its vaccine was 90 per cent effective against the Delta variant, though Russian federation'due south health ministry has now downgraded that to 83 per cent. Even so, Sputnik V'south efficacy rates are comparable with Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca, and higher than China's vaccines.
In late 2020, Russian federation moved quickly to sign supply agreements with countries around the earth. Nonetheless, Sputnik V was soon gaining bad publicity, domestically and internationally.
Despite surging cases at home, vaccine take-up rates in Russia have been very depression due to trust bug between the regime and people, and concerns about Sputnik'due south potential side furnishings.
Today only 19 per cent of Russian federation'southward population are fully vaccinated — a poor advert for the Russian vaccine.
In Europe, Sputnik V courted controversy as the Kremlin was accused of using it to sow political discord.
Most chiefly, due to serious production bottlenecks, Russia has fallen well short of its delivery commitments, leading to anger among some of its customers in Latin America and Africa.
Of the 900 1000000 doses Russia promised to ship out by the stop of 2021, less than 17 one thousand thousand doses accept so far been delivered.
DROPPING THE VACCINE BALL
Sputnik V's relatively high cost has been another cistron. At U.s.$20 for two doses, information technology is much more expensive than Pfizer (US$xiii), AstraZeneca (The states$6) and Johnson & Johnson (US$10).
For these reasons, Sputnik V has failed to make serious inroads in Southeast Asia.
Even with its ii closest regional partners, Vietnam and Lao people's democratic republic, Russia has dropped the ball.
Vietnam authorised the use of Sputnik 5 in March and has negotiated with Russia for 60 million doses of the vaccine, with xx million promised earlier the end of the year. So far, notwithstanding, Vietnam has only received a mere i,000 doses of the Russian vaccine.
As the state faces a steep rising in infections, Hanoi even turned to its geopolitical rival Beijing for assistance. China has since delivered ane.5 million doses of Sinopharm while its ever closer partner, the The states, has sent Vietnam 5 million Moderna doses — of which 2 million were donated via the COVAX Facility.
In July, Hanoi and Moscow signed a technology transfer agreement that allows Vietnam to domestically manufacture Sputnik V.
Last month, Vietnam produced a examination batch and hopes to go into full product afterwards this year. But Hanoi is hedging its bets by negotiating with the The states, Nihon, India and even People's republic of china for production agreements.
LOST Start-MOVER ADVANTAGE
It has been a similar story in Laos. In January, Russia donated 1,000 doses to Laos.
In July, visiting Russian Strange Minister Sergei Lavrov said his government was considering making another donation. Meanwhile, China has already delivered 2.9 million doses to Laos and America 1 one thousand thousand doses.
Russian federation has fared poorly in other Southeast Asian countries likewise. Moscow offered production arrangements to Malaysia and Indonesia, but neither country has approved Sputnik 5 withal.
Post-obit the Feb coup in Myanmar, the Kremlin moved rapidly to strengthen relations with the junta with an middle to increasing arms sales.
In July, coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing declared Russian federation had promised to evangelize ii 1000000 doses of Sputnik Five.
(Are COVID-19 vaccines notwithstanding constructive against new variants? And could these increase the risk of reinfection? Experts explain why COVID-19 could become a "chronic problem" on CNA's Middle of the Matter podcast.)
Every bit Myanmar struggles to contain the spread of the virus, the two countries are negotiating for 7 one thousand thousand doses. Just while Russia has notwithstanding to send a unmarried dose, Cathay has already delivered 1.76 million doses.
Ironically, Moscow'due south biggest success in Southeast Asia has been with America's ally, the Philippines. Manila has received 350,000 doses of Sputnik V, but this pales in comparing with the 20.5 million doses from China and v million from the United states.
Thus, although Russia had a starting time-mover advantage in the game of vaccine diplomacy, it squandered a golden opportunity to improve its credentials in Southeast Asia and is at present trailing far backside China and the United States. Communicable upward volition be almost on impossible.
Dr Ian Storey is Senior Swain at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute and editor of Contemporary Southeast Asia. This commentary first appeared on the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Establish's Fulcrum.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/russia-vaccine-sputnik-china-diplomacy-290956
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