US Says No to Russia's Offer to Help With COVID-19 Vaccine

By Madelaine D. First Posted: Aug 14, 2020 10:00 AM EDT

The United States did not accept Russia's offer to help the country with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine.

Russian officials told CNN on Thursday that they proposed "unprecedented cooperation" with the Operation Warp Speed (OWS), the U.S. agency body set to accelerate access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. However, the officials said the "U.S. is not currently open" to Russia's medical advances.

A senior Russian official told CNN that there was a general sense of mistrust of Russia on the American side. The official added that Russia believed that technologies, including vaccines, testings, and treatments, are not being adopted in the U.S. because of that doubt.

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said President Donald Trump was briefed on the new Russian vaccine, but noted that U.S. vaccines go through "rigorous" testing.

McEnany said American vaccines go through Phase 3 testing and high standards.

U.S. Says No to Russia's Offer to Help with COVID-19 Vaccine

(Photo : The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF))
A scientist works inside a laboratory during the production and laboratory testing of a vaccine against the coronavirus disease in Moscow A scientist works inside a laboratory of the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology during the production and laboratory testing of a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Moscow, Russia August 6, 2020. Picture taken August 6, 2020.

Other U.S. officials told CNN that the vaccine from Russia is considered half baked that it hadn't piqued U.S. interest before the rollout.

A U.S. government public health official said: "There's no way in hell the U.S. tries this (Russian vaccine) on monkeys, let alone people."

Russian President Vladimir Putin's daughter had taken the vaccine developed against the novel coronavirus, Russia announced on Tuesday. But tests are yet to be completed, and some experts have expressed doubts about the claims, the CNN reported.

Russian officials noted that Russia is willing to give information about the vaccine and allow U.S. pharmaceutical companies to develop and produce it.

Recently, Russia claims that some American firms are interested in the vaccine, but their names have not been disclosed.

After the U.S. declined Russia's offer, the Russian sources maintained that Washington should consider adopting the vaccine Sputnik V to save American lives.

"If our vaccine proves to be one of the most effective, questions will be asked why the U.S. did not explore this option any deeper, why politics got in the way of access to a vaccine," a senior Russian official told CNN.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Russia's sovereign wealth fund said at least 20 countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America had expressed their interest in the vaccine.

Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte said he is so confident about the result of the vaccine, as per KTLA. Duterte also stated that he would take the vaccine when it arrives in the Philippines. Meanwhile, the foreign minister of Mexico on Thursday said Mexico is in talks with Russia about the vaccine.

Reports said Russia had not released any scientific data on the testing of Sputnik V, and there have no verified reports on the vaccine's claimed safety or effectiveness.

In April, Russia enacted a law that eliminates the requirement of the crucial Phase 3 trials that need to be conducted before the vaccine's approval. The law allowed researchers to fast-track the vaccine's development process, according to KTLA.

The Sputnik V vaccine will gradually be rolled out to high-risk people before Russia's mass vaccination in October.