Online Panel Discussion by M.D. Asmik Asatryan, M.D. Irina Levchenko, Prof. Dr. Susanna Kharit, Prof. Dr. Geert Leroux-Roels
At a time when vaccination campaigns within the EU are reaching full steam after EMA’s endorsement of the vaccines by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, there is a remarkable silence about the Russian Sputnik vaccine.
Yet, Sputnik-V was the first vaccine to be officially announced in the battle against the coronavirus and it was presented with much bravado by the Russian authorities. Reports about steps being skipped in test phases of the Russian vaccine and its purpose as a geopolitical tool aroused suspicion in the West. Today, still, the general public very much perceives Sputnik-V as second tier despite the proven high effectivity of the vaccine.
- But how much do we actually know about the vaccine?
- How does Sputnik-V work in practice, and how does it compare to Western vaccines?
- Could a better understanding of the Russian vaccine lead us to new insights that are important for the further development of the other vaccines?
- Can the Russian vaccine realistically complement the European vaccination strategy?
- What does the Russian vaccination strategy look like, and what can we learn from it?
To answer these underexamined questions, the Russia Platform is organising a high-level panel discussion with Russian experts Asmik Asatryan, Irina Levchenko & Susanna Kharit and specialists from Ghent University / Ghent University Hospital (UZ Ghent) Elizaveta Padalko, Geert Leroux-Roels & Hans Nauwynck.
Speakers:
M.D. Asmik Asatryan works as physician/immunologist at the Saint Petersburg State Hospital Nr. 88 and is specialized in infectious diseases, vaccinations and the organisation of health care.
M.D. Irina Levchenko is deputy chief supervising physician at the Saint Petersburg State Hospital nr. 88. She is an expert in paediatrics and the organisation of healthcare, including vaccinations both in children and adults.
Prof. Dr. Susanna Kharit works at the Department of Infectious Diseases in Children of the Saint Petersburg Pediatric Medical University. She is also Chief Freelance Specialist for Vaccine Prevention of Children of the Health Committee of St. Petersburg, a member of the Independent Expert Expert Council on Vaccine Prevention of the Russian Federation and member of the Euro-Asian Society for Infectious Diseases.
Prof. Dr. Geert Leroux-Roels is the founder of the Center for Vaccinology (CEVAC) and is associated with both Ghent University and Ghent University Hospital (UZ Ghent). He has conducted numerous studies about vaccinations, resides in various advisory boards and is an established name in international scientific societies.
Moderators:
Prof. Dr. Elizaveta Padalko is Head Clinical Biology at the Ghent University Hospital while also being active as lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Ghent University. Her work focuses in particular on the evaluation of diagnostic methods in infectious serology and molecular diagnostics.
Prof. Dr. Hans Nauwynck holds the position of Head of the Laboratory For Virology of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ghent University. He specialises in research into viral diseases in animals and advocates for more intensive research into bacteria and viruses in animals and humans.
