by Ahtra Elnashar, Sinclair Broadcast Group
WASHINGTON (SBG)— Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that his country has developed the first-ever coronavirus vaccine, but many experts doubt its legitimacy.
The vaccine, called "Sputnik V," has not gone through Phase 3 trials, which are crucial for researchers to determine if a vaccine is effective and safe.
Russia did not release scientific data to back up the claim Sputnik V is safe and reliable, but Putin said his daughter got the vaccine.
Duke University Professor of Medicine Thomas Denny told Sinclair he would not feel safe getting Sputnik V himself.
"There’s no details to understand how it was tried, who it was administered to," Denny said. "Was it volunteers? Was it, you know, people in the military who were told to take it?”
Denny is the chief operating officer of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. He predicts a coronavirus vaccine won't be ready until 2021. He said Russia is likely trying to get the prestige of being the first country to develop a vaccine.
“The more transparency we all have as we’re getting information, the more it helps everyone," Denny said. “The fact that there was not some of that that was put out there at the same time as the success, or the so-called ‘success,’ I think it takes away from the claim.”
Denny described vaccine science as "building blocks" which take time to achieve a result.
"You do something, you get some information, and then you build a few more levels," Denny said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government's top infectious disease expert, warned members of Congress in July about premature claims, like the ones Denny and others said have been made by Russia.
“Claims of having a vaccine ready to distribute before you do testing I think is problematic at best," Fauci said.
In an interview with ABC News on Monday, Fauci said the United States could be in for a tough fall and winter if flu season coincides with a surge in coronavirus cases.
Fauci said the "universal wearing of masks" is critical for getting the country down to a manageable 10,000 cases per day. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States currently averages 53,000 cases per day.
“The way human nature is acting out there, it doesn’t seem likely, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done," Fauci said.