Russian cosmonauts prepare to take off for the International Space Station.
Moscow:
Russian cosmonauts ready to take off for the International Space Station said Thursday it was too early to get a vaccine against the coronavirus touted by President Vladimir Putin.
“I would personally say that I would not get the vaccine because I am very careful about this problem,” said Sergei Ryzhikov, the 46-year-old leader of the next expedition to the ISS in October.
He and other cosmonauts wore face masks at the Star City training center outside Moscow during an online press conference.
The cosmonaut’s comments came after Putin touted the Russian coronavirus vaccine developed in record time and named “Sputnik V” after the Soviet-era satellite that was first launched into space in 1957.
“As soon as the vaccine is tried and tested and proves its reliability, a decision will be made to recommend that cosmonauts be vaccinated,” said another cosmonaut, Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, 37.
He said the decision rested with the doctors in charge of cosmonaut health care, including vaccination.
Russia has raised concerns among Western scientists by announcing that its vaccine had received approval before full clinical trials were completed.
While the vaccine has shown promising results in early trials, Russia has yet to complete the final phase of clinical trials, in which large numbers of people are given either the vaccine or a placebo.
Nevertheless, Russia has already vaccinated high-level officials, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoyu and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Putin said one of his daughters had been vaccinated, experiencing only a mild reaction.
Astronauts regularly undergo a period of quarantine before flying into space.
“The International Space Station is now the safest place,” Ryzhikov added.
“We don’t need to be vaccinated because we strictly follow all health rules.”
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
