"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"view-HD-pictures-wrap\"\u003E\n \u003Cimg class=\"view-HD-pictures\" data-src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fres.6chcdn.feednews.com\u002Fassets\u002Fv2\u002Fd24685dd105c9149f1eed205f71f54e0?quality=uhq&format=jpeg&resize=720\"\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\"view-HD-pictures\"\u003EView pictures in App save up to 80% data.\u003C\u002Fspan\u003E\n \u003C\u002Fspan\u003E\u003C\u002Fp\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPhotograph is courtesy of Reuters\u003C\u002Fp\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(5, 7, 8);\"\u003ELast month, the government of Russia announced that the Sputnik V vaccine, created on the well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, demonstrated high efficacy, explaining that \u003C\u002Fspan\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(17, 17, 17);\"\u003Epreliminary data showed the vaccine is over 95 percent effective three weeks after the second dose.\u003C\u002Fspan\u003E \u003C\u002Fp\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe announcement came days after \u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(34, 34, 34);\"\u003EAmerican pharmaceutical companies \u003C\u002Fspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnbc.com\u002Fquotes\u002F?symbol=PFE\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(32, 119, 182);\"\u003EPfizer\u003C\u002Fa\u003E-\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnbc.com\u002Fquotes\u002F?symbol=BNTX\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(32, 119, 182);\"\u003EBioNTech\u003C\u002Fa\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnbc.com\u002Fquotes\u002F?symbol=MRNA\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(252, 183, 0);\"\u003EModerna\u003C\u002Fa\u003E announced \u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(51, 51, 51);\"\u003Ethat interim results showed its vaccine was more than 90 percent effective\u003C\u002Fspan\u003E.\u003C\u002Fp\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut the Russian vaccine is offering what the others are not.\u003C\u002Fp\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFirst, Russia said it will make its shot cheaper than its rivals and wants to produce one billion doses next year, some of which it will make available to other countries. The United States haven’t yet offered to ship vaccines abroad.\u003C\u002Fp\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile Russia’s sovereign wealth fund RDIF said “the cost of one dose of the Sputnik V vaccine for international markets will be less than $10,” Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines are expected to cost above $20.\u003C\u002Fp\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnbc.com\u002F2020\u002F11\u002F24\u002Frussia-to-charge-less-for-covid-vaccine-and-to-produce-1-billion-doses.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EAccording to US media reports\u003C\u002Fa\u003E, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is expected to cost around $20 per dose, while Moderna’s CEO recently stated that the company’s vaccine will cost $25-$37 per dose, depending on the amount ordered. Both vaccines require two doses.\u003C\u002Fp\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWith many African countries dealing with economic hardship made worse by the coronavirus, it makes more sense going for a far cheaper Russian vaccine that has proven to be even more effective than some of its rivals.\u003C\u002Fp\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere’s also the issue of trust for Western vaccines.\u003C\u002Fp\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn recent months, \u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(29, 34, 40);\"\u003Esocial media networks have exploded with theories regarding efforts to find a vaccine, including claims of \u003C\u002Fspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nytimes.com\u002F2020\u002F05\u002F09\u002Ftechnology\u002Fplandemic-judy-mikovitz-coronavirus-disinformation.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 58, 188);\"\u003Ea plot to bury research\u003C\u002Fa\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(29, 34, 40);\"\u003E showing vaccines can hurt people’s immune systems. Even Microsoft co-founder and former CEO Bill Gates, who initially spearheaded efforts to find a vaccine for the coronavirus, has \u003C\u002Fspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffinance.yahoo.com\u002Fnews\u002Fbill-gates-misinformation-coronavirus-vaccine-conspiracies-165342369.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(29, 34, 40);\"\u003Eraised concern\u003C\u002Fa\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(29, 34, 40);\"\u003E about people’s willingness to take a vaccine when it finally becomes available to the general public.\u003C\u002Fspan\u003E High profile Nigerian personalities like extremely popular pastor \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdailypost.ng\u002F2020\u002F05\u002F06\u002Fpastor-chris-oyakhilome-questions-search-for-coronavirus-vaccine-video\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EChris Oyakhilome\u003C\u002Fa\u003E and former aviation minister \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ftwitter.com\u002Frealffk\u002Fstatus\u002F1247452004135448578?lang=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFemi Fani-Kayode\u003C\u002Fa\u003E also questioned the motive behind the vaccines at the time Western nations said they were developing coronavirus vaccines.\u003C\u002Fp\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(29, 34, 40);\"\u003EFor the purpose of trust, cost effectiveness and efficacy, Africa stands to gain more from choosing Russia’s \u003C\u002Fspan\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(5, 7, 8);\"\u003ESputnik V vaccine than those produced in the Western world.\u003C\u002Fspan\u003E\u003C\u002Fp\u003E"