The news that Russia is planning to begin mass vaccination against coronavirus in October was greeted by foreign media with caution. The Russian authorities may be in a hurry and put national prestige above security, journalists say.

Clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine have been completed in Russia, and the authorities plan to begin mass vaccination from October. This was announced by the Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko, RIA Novosti reports. The minister also stressed that vaccination will be free of charge. Foreign media took the news with caution, drawing attention to the speed with which the vaccine is officially approved and started to be used.  

CNN:

“Russia says it is receiving requests from abroad for a potential vaccine developed at an accelerated pace. But many questions remain <...> Russia has not published scientific data on vaccine testing, and CNN cannot confirm its declared safety or effectiveness. Critics say the country is rushing to provide a vaccine amid political pressure from the Kremlin to present it as a global scientific power.

While some vaccines are in the third stage of testing, the Russian vaccine has not passed the second yet. The developers plan to complete this phase by August 3, and then conduct the third phase of testing in parallel with the vaccination of medical workers."

The Wall Street Journal:

“Russia, facing the pressure of the coronavirus pandemic on the health care system and the impact of quarantine measures on the economy, has shortened the trial time and accelerated the clinical evaluation process in an attempt to establish itself in the vaccine race.

With some Western vaccine candidates currently undergoing stage three trials, Russia's decision to skip the third test before vaccine registration has got people worried that the country might sacrifice citizens' safety for national prestige.”

Bloomberg:

"While the developers have touted the vaccine as safe and potentially the first to become available to the public, the data has not been released and the speed at which Russia is moving has raised questions in other countries."

Deutsche Welle:

"The speed with which Russia is introducing the first potential COVID-19 vaccine has left critics wondering if Russia is putting health and safety at risk in exchange for winning the race to develop the first successful coronavirus vaccine."