The US may deny entry for those vaccinated with Sputnik V. Russia complains about discrimination
The United States is preparing to change the procedure for admitting to the country by banning the entry of people vaccinated with vaccines not approved by WHO or a specialized American agency. The Russian authorities are indignant over the “vaccine discrimination” in relation to the Russian “Sputnik V”, but the situation is rather curious: at the peak of the pandemic, Russians vaccinated by “Sputnik” were allowed into the United States, but stopped only recently.
The World Health Organization is in no rush to apply the Sputnik V vaccine.
New rules for entering the United States. Russians – that is how many visited the United States in 2019.
The shortcomings associated with vaccine diplomacy affected the UN General Assembly in New York, where the Russian delegation was not allowed to go without vaccinations. Its members, according to the chairman of the Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, restrict movement in Strasbourg. From representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, words about “vaccine discrimination” have been heard since at least March.
Following Volodin, State Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky was indignant at the “discrimination”, and already in connection with the new rules for entering the United States. Slutsky, however, believes that European countries also participate in the scheme, and its beneficiaries are large Western pharmaceutical companies.
“The French authorities agreed to a discriminatory division of national delegations into so-called zones.” “, – the deputy is amazed in an interview with” Vesti “.
Against this background, the announcement that people who have not been vaccinated with one of the internationally recognized vaccines will be banned from entering the United States is another reason for accusing the United States and the West in general of discrimination. However, Sputnik V is not the only vaccine that neither the WHO nor the American structure recognizes.
What do we know about the new rules?
USA. Now entry into the United States is prohibited for non-citizens who have visited one of the Schengen countries, Iran, Great Britain, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa and India for 14 days.
Russia is not included in this list – now Russians with a visa and a negative test for coronavirus can freely enter the United States.
Under the new rules, it will be possible to fly to the United States from any country. To board a plane, you need to show a vaccination certificate and a negative coronavirus test taken no earlier than three days before departure. Entry quarantine is not required. Land borders with Canada and Mexico remain closed.
It has been known since last week. Then the White House pandemic response coordinator Jeff Seyenz said that the final decision on this matter has not yet been made. It will be hosted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This will affect not only those who have been grafted with Sputnik V. There are many vaccines without WHO approval. Among them, for example, the Indian drug Covaxin.
Why Sputnik is not recognized
The Russian Sputnik V vaccine was the first in the world. The Gamaleya Institute was ahead of Western pharmaceutical companies, but Russian manufacturers almost immediately suspected that they had not performed all the proper tests. Vaccination in Russia was slow, largely due to Russians’ distrust of the drug.
The approval process for Sputnik by WHO has been going on since the spring of 2021, the time frame for making a decision has been shifted several times. In early May, WHO said it hopes to evaluate Sputnik V in late June or July.
The last WHO announcement about Sputnik was made on 15 September. The organization suspended the certification process for the Russian vaccine after one of the factories where it was produced did not pass the WHO inspection.
“During an inspection at one of the factories that is part of the production of the Sputnik V vaccine, it was found that the factory did not comply with the new rules of best manufacturing practice,” the head of the Pan American Health Organization said at the time.
According to experts, in order to eliminate production deficiencies.
In addition, at the end of July, news began to emerge that Russia was disrupting vaccines in Bolivia. A month earlier, at the end of June, Guatemala’s Minister of Health, Amelia Flores, asked Moscow to return the $ 79 million advance paid in April for the delivery of 16 million doses of Sputnik. According to the country’s government, only 150,000 doses had been delivered by the end of June.
However, supply problems have nothing to do with the clinical effect of Sputnik. According to an independent assessment by Russian scientists in August, the vaccine is 81% effective against complications requiring hospitalization.