From "Russian roulette" to supply hopes: how the German media changed their minds about the Sputnik V vaccine

After the catastrophic situation with vaccines against coronavirus infection in the European Union, the German authorities drew attention to the Russian drug Sputnik V.

This is stated in the material of the British magazine The Spectator.

The author of the article notes that, if approved by the European regulator, the development of the National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology named after Honorary Academician N.F.

Gamalea will be the fourth COVID-19 vaccine available on the EU market.

“It's easy to see why the idea of ​​purchasing Sputnik V vaccine for Germany might seem tempting.

Full-scale vaccination with BioNTech's Pfizer and Moderna products is being hampered by delays in delivery and political miscalculations, ”the report says.

The article also drew attention to the fact that the publication of the results of the III phase of clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine in the medical journal The Lancet, within which the high efficacy of the drug was confirmed, caused "violent activity" in Germany.

“In Germany, where the slow pace of vaccination is causing more and more outrage, they welcome the possibility of supplying another available drug,” the author of the material states.

Earlier, the Minister of Economy and Energy of the Federal Republic of Germany Peter Altmeier did not rule out the possibility of using Sputnik V in the country if it is approved by the European Medicines Agency.

However, the publications of foreign-language media about the Russian drug have always been just as complimentary.

For example, Der Tagesspiegel, the day after the announcement of the registration of Sputnik V, published a material in which, with reference to international experts, it was said that the Russian vaccine could be potentially dangerous for the population.

At the same time, the material Der Tagesspiegel published in early February cites the opinion of the German Minister of Health Jens Spahn: "I am delighted with every vaccine that shows itself to be effective and reliable."

And the data on the effectiveness of the Russian drug are characterized as encouraging.

“To what extent Sputnik complies with this, the European admitting agency EMA should now consider.

The data published now are "encouraging", but they still have to be submitted to the department, "the article says.

“There is“ constructively critical ”cooperation with Russia.

Ultimately, the pandemic can only be dealt with by the entire world community, ”the article concludes.

The Süeddeutsche Zeitung also expressed critical remarks about Sputnik V, expressing "great doubts" about the reliability of the studies carried out by Russian specialists.

Now the authors of the publication are publishing material with the title "High efficiency, easy storage: Sputnik V gives hope."

In mid-August, the online editorial office of Welt published a satirical article that assessed Vladimir Putin's words that his daughter had been vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine.

"With the exception of a couple of fits of anger, she is completely normal, assured from the destroyed laboratory," - said in the material.

However, the Welt article published in January confirms that the vaccine is available in Moscow, which has already been used by representatives of various states, including Western journalists, as well as the ambassadors of Italy and Sri Lanka, which has become a "good advertisement" for the drug.

However, later on the Welt website noted that Russia, for the first time in a long time, was able to surprise the West "from a technical point of view."

On the ZDF portal, the August registration of Sputnik V was called "Putin's propaganda move."

They also expressed confidence that in the future, the reputation of Russian scientists, who would lose confidence in the international arena, would allegedly suffer greatly.

In February, the publication's rhetoric changed - the article "Hope for Sputnik V" was published with photographs from GUM and other places in Moscow, where field vaccination teams started working.

The Bild tabloid published an article in August with "expert warnings" that the Russian vaccine could "create new mutations" of SARS-CoV-2.

But now the tone of the materials has changed dramatically - there is more and more evidence that Sputnik V can be used, the authors of Bild write, noting that Russian developers have processed two different adenoviruses, which may explain the significantly better protective effect than the vaccine from the manufacturer AstraZeneca which has the same principle of operation.

“Thus, the Russian vaccine is perhaps the smartest of all,” the German tabloid quotes Professor Theo Dingermann, a pharmacologist at the University of Frankfurt.

The authors of the Handelsblatt newspaper in August seriously suspected Russia of using Photoshop to falsify research results for the world's first vaccine registered.

While now they are wondering whether Sputnik V can save the European campaign to vaccinate the population.

Sputnik V: Can the Russians Save the European Vaccination Campaign?

- reads the current title.

The German edition Tagesschau cited critical comments about the use of Sputnik V, including in materials that Hungary was going to buy the Russian vaccine.

Now the words of the chairman of the permanent commission on vaccination in Germany, Thomas Mertens, are quoted, hoping that "Sputnik V" will go through the corresponding approval procedure in the European Union. 

“I would be very happy if this vaccine gave us the opportunity to expand our vaccine portfolio,” he said.

Der Spiegel, speaking about the beginning of vaccination against COVID-19 in Moscow, compared the vaccination campaign of the Russian authorities with a “Russian roulette”.

In its latest materials, the editors of the portal turned to the SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach, who hopes that Sputnik V will help Germany in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Lauterbach also praised the Sputnik V vaccine as being understandable," says Bild. 

The combination of two vector vaccines is a "smart system", he said.

Therefore, he demanded that the active ingredient be immediately tested by the European Medicines Agency EMA.