Russian national vaccines: doctors and nurses not cooperating - strong distrust in people

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

ロシア国産ワクチン、医師や看護師もそっぽ　国民の不信感根強く

2020.12.25 Fri posted at 10:21 JST

モスクワ（ＣＮＮ） 米国や英国で新型コロナウイルスワクチンに対する期待が高まる中、世界の中でもいち早く幅広い国民を対象とするワクチン接種を開始したロシア。だが国民の不信感に阻まれて、接種に訪れる人はまばらな状態が続いている。

モスクワでは２週間前、ロシアで最初の拠点となる７０カ所のワクチン接種施設が開設され、医療従事者などを対象にロシア製のワクチン「スプートニクＶ」の接種が始まった。

だがモスクワ市長によると、これまでに接種を受けたのは１万５０００人のみ。各施設で１日当たり約１５人の接種にとどまる計算で、米国で最初の週に２７万１０００人以上が接種を受けたのとは対照的だ。

ＣＮＮが調べたモスクワ市内の９施設の予約サイトは空きが目立ち、取材に訪れた２施設は行列もできていなかった。

モスクワでは当初、医療従事者や教員をワクチン接種の対象としていたが、間もなくジャーナリストや公共交通機関の職員などにも対象が拡大された。

しかし現地からの報道によると、厳格な書類審査が行われていないため、健康条件さえ満たせば実質的に誰でもワクチン接種の申し込みができる状態にあるという。

こうした状況は国民のワクチンに対する不信感を物語る。ロシアは今年８月、数十人の臨床試験を経て、大々的にスプートニクＶを承認した。しかし安全性と効果の検証を目的としたフェーズ３の大規模臨床試験前に承認が発表されたことに対し、専門家から強い批判が巻き起こった。

メーカーによると、スプートニクＶは臨床試験で９０％以上の効果を実証したとされる。しかし米ファイザーとビオンテックが共同開発したワクチンなど、競合他社のワクチンに追いつくために発表を急いだ可能性があるとの批判も広がった。

プーチン大統領が今月２日にワクチンの大規模接種を開始するよう政府に指示したのは、英国がファイザーとビオンテックのワクチンを承認した２時間後だった。

ワクチンに対する不信感は、国民の大多数に接種を受けさせたい各国政府にとって課題を投げかける。特にロシアでは、市民への接種の呼びかけ役を担うはずの医療関係者が接種に乗り気でない。

「今のところワクチンを接種するつもりはない。ロシアのワクチンは不透明で効果も実証されていないから」。サンクトペテルブルクの開業医、ビクトリア・アレクサンドローバさんはそう打ち明けた。

ＣＮＮが取材した医師や看護師はほとんどが、ワクチン開発や承認のプロセスに懸念を示し、詳しいデータが明らかになるまで接種は受けないと話している。

独立系の調査機関がロシア国民を対象に１０月下旬に実施した世論調査では、ワクチンが無料で任意になる場合、接種は望まないという回答が５９％を占め、８月の調査より４ポイント増加した。

与党の統一ロシア党が１０月に実施した世論調査でも、７３％がワクチン接種を受ける予定はないと回答した。

プーチン大統領（６８）は１７日に行った毎年恒例の記者会見で、スプートニクＶの効果は実証されていると強調、「接種を受けない理由はない」と力説した。

ただ、自身はまだスプートニクＶの接種を受けていないことを認めたが、それは６０歳以上の高齢者は接種を勧告されていないためだと釈明している。

Translation

Moscow (CNN) - Russia was one of the first in the world to start vaccination for a wide range of people amid the rising expectations for the new coronavirus vaccine now in the United States and the United Kingdom. However, in Russia the number of people who come to the vaccination remained sparse because of the distrust of the people.

Two weeks ago 70 vaccination facilities, as the first strongholds in Russia, were opened in Moscow. The Russian-made vaccine "Sputnik V" were being vaccinated for medical professionals.

But according to the mayor of Moscow, only 15,000 people had been vaccinated so far. Only about 15 people were vaccinated per day at each facility, in contrast to more than 271,000 people in the United States in the first week.

The reservation sites in nine facilities in Moscow which CNN investigated were conspicuously vacant, and two other facilities visited for coverage had no line-ups.

Initially, Moscow targeted the healthcare workers and teachers for vaccination, and soon expanded it to include journalists and public transport staff.

However, according to local media reports, virtually anyone could apply for vaccination if they met the health conditions because strict document screenings had not been carried out.

This situation told a story of public distrust of the vaccines. Russia extensively approved Sputnik V in August this year after conducting clinical trials with dozens of people. However, experts had strongly criticized the announcement of an approval before doing a large phase 3 clinical trial that aimed at verifying safety and efficacy.

According to the manufacturer, Sputnik V had demonstrated more than a 90% effectiveness in clinical trials. However, criticism had spread that it might have been rushed the announcement to catch up with competitors' vaccines, such as the vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

Putin instructed the government to start a large-scale vaccination on the 2nd of this month, two hours after the UK approved the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines.

Distrust in vaccines posed a challenge for governments that wanted the majority of their population to be vaccinated. Especially in Russia, medical personnel who were supposed to promote vaccination to citizens were themselves not interested in getting vaccinated.

Victoria Alexandrova, a practitioner in St. Petersburg, confessed that "I'm not going to be vaccinated at this time, because Russian vaccines are opaque and unproven."

Most doctors and nurses interviewed by CNN had expressed concerns about the process of vaccine development and its approval; and had said that they would not be vaccinated until detailed data were available.

In a poll conducted by an independent research institute on Russian citizens in late October, 59% of respondents said they did not want vaccination when the vaccine was voluntary and free, an increase of 4 points from the August survey.

In a poll conducted by the ruling United Russia party in October, 73% said they had no plans to get vaccinated.

President Putin (68) emphasized at an annual press conference on the 17th that the effects of Sputnik V had been proven, and emphasized that "there is no reason not to get vaccinated."

But he admitted that he had not yet been vaccinated with Sputnik V, explaining that older people over the age of 60 were not advised to be vaccinated.

              So, it is interesting to note that even some Russian medical staff themselves have no confidence in the vaccine produced by its own country. People’s trust is important for a government to push forward its policies smoothly. Vaccination is a medial as well as a political issue.