Half of Russians don’t want to take world’s first Covid-19 vaccine – only 42% willing to try Sputnik V

A majority of Russians don’t want to be vaccinated against coronavirus, according to a brand-new survey, which showed only 42 percent of the country wants to be immunized with the homegrown ‘Sputnik V’ formula, unveiled last week.

On August 11, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin announced that the country had registered the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine. Developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, the vaccine will be available to the general public from January 2021, but is to be offered to teachers and medical workers first. The process of creating the vaccine has been criticized by some Western countries, who claim that the speed of the development means it hasn’t yet been proven safe.

When asked whether they are ready to take Sputnik V, 42 percent of respondents said yes, with 52 percent saying no. The survey was conducted by WCIOM, a Russian state-owned pollster. 

“This is an interesting case for understanding the state of our society today,” said Valery Fedorov, the head of WCIOM. “We want a guarantee we won't get infected… nevertheless most do not plan to get vaccinated. Why? They are afraid and do not believe [in the product].”

According to Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the vaccine has garnered a lot of interest from abroad. On August 11, the day the solution was registered, Dmitriev revealed that a total of 20 nations from Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia had requested a billion doses of Sputnik V.

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