Head of Russian team behind world's 1st registered Covid-19 vaccine says Western countries want to 'lure away' his scientists
Western research institutions are attempting to poach specialists from the center that created 'Sputnik V' – the formula which made global headlines last week after it became the world's first registered coronavirus vaccine.
However, the director of Moscow's Gamaleya National Research Center has said he is not concerned by the approaches, warning the head-hunters not to waste their time. “They are seeking to lure them away. But they won’t be able to,” Alexander Gintsburg told the 'Russia-1' television channel.
“Our researchers have been working at the Gamaleya Institute for ten years,” he continued. “Any American or European university can only dream of having such researchers.”
According to Gintsburg, the West’s negative response to the newly registered Russian vaccine was quite predictable. He explained that it was mainly down to commercial reasons, hurt feelings and wounded pride. Nevertheless, the scientist doesn't believe it was a coordinated ‘information attack’, but rather an instinctive reaction.
“I wouldn’t call it collusion. I would call it a natural negative reaction of Western companies to the emergence of a Russian product they did not expect,” he stressed. “So, I think we should ignore these negative things that are being directed at us.”
Last week, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had registered the world’s first vaccine against Covid-19. Dubbed Sputnik V, it was developed by the Gamaleya Center, and its clinical trials were successfully completed in June-July. The vaccine was developed using a platform that had been used – and perfected – in the preparation of other vaccines.
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