A jab at coronavirus vaccine diplomacy: How Russia won the battle

India's Subject Expert Committee cleared Sputnik V for emergency use against Covid-19, making it the third approved vaccine against Covid-19 in the country

Last August as the world was battling a surge in coronavirus cases, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the country has registered the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine — Sputnik V.

At the time there were 25 vaccine candidates in the clinical evaluation stage globally. Oxford University had started the phase III trial of its vaccine, while Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine was still in phase I and II trials.

Putin’s announcement about the vaccine drew interest and skepticism in equal measure. Critics in Russia and abroad questioned the use of vaccines even before completion of a phase III trial. Some doubted the