[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Russian-made vaccines such as Sputnik V are claimed by Russian authorities on the 3rd (local time) to have over 90% preventive effectiveness against the 'Delta' and 'Delta Plus' variants.
Alexander Semyonov, director of the virus infection research institute 'Vector,' explained this regarding the efficacy of their domestic vaccines against COVID-19 virus variants. In Russia, including 'Sputnik V,' which was the world's first to be approved in August last year, four types of COVID-19 vaccines have been developed and are currently in use.
Director Semyonov said, "Although the vaccine's efficacy (against variants) has slightly decreased, recent data shows it still remains above 90%." He added, "The antibodies formed through vaccination exhibit neutralizing efficacy and respond very effectively to infections by the Delta and Delta Plus variants," further stating, "Therefore, there is currently no need to start changing the existing vaccine components."
In Russia, while the Delta variant is the dominant strain of COVID-19 infections, cases of Delta Plus infections have also been confirmed. The Delta variant is currently driving the global resurgence of COVID-19; it is 1.64 times more transmissible than the UK-originated Alpha variant and is associated with a 2.26 times higher risk of hospitalization.
Many experts estimate that the Delta Plus variant is even more transmissible than the India-originated Delta variant and that vaccine effectiveness may be reduced. The Delta Plus variant has an additional spike protein mutation called 'K417N' on top of the Delta variant.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
