The USA is preparing to change the entry requirements, prohibiting the entry of people vaccinated with vaccines not approved by the WHO or specialized American agencies. Russian authorities are outraged by the “vaccine discrimination” against the Russian “Sputnik V”, but the situation is rather bizarre: during the peak of the pandemic, Russians vaccinated with “Sputnik” were allowed to enter the USA, and only recently they have stopped allowing them.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, State Duma deputies and representatives of the Direct Investment Fund have complained in recent weeks that the World Health Organization is not speeding up the certification of the “Sputnik V” vaccine for use. The new entry rules in the United States, if adopted, may affect about 300,000 Russians – exactly the number of people who visited the United States in 2019.
Misunderstandings over vaccine diplomacy have affected the UN General Assembly in New York, where the Russian delegation was not allowed to enter without vaccinations, and the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. According to Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the State Duma, its members are restricted in their movements in Strasbourg. Representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry have been speaking out against “vaccine discrimination” since at least March.
Following Volodin’s “discrimination,” State Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky expressed his outrage, this time in connection with the new rules for entering the United States. However, Slutsky believes that European countries are also involved in this scheme, with major Western pharmaceutical companies being the beneficiaries. “The French authorities have resorted to a discriminatory division of national delegations into so-called ‘zones’. The Russian delegation ended up in the ‘red zone’ simply because the ‘Sputnik V’ vaccines are not recognized by European regulators. Our deputies and senators were allowed to move only along the strict airport-hotel-Palace of Europe route. This contradicts the agreements within the Council of Europe and the principle of equal rights for all member states of the organization,” one deputy expressed surprise in an interview with “Vesti”.
The announcement of a ban on entry into the United States for people who have not been vaccinated with one of the internationally recognized vaccines has provided yet another reason to accuse the United States and the West in general of discrimination. However, the “Sputnik V” vaccine is not the only vaccine that is not recognized by either the WHO or the American structure. Last week, the United States announced that it will allow vaccinated tourists from all countries to enter the country beginning in November. Currently, non-citizens who have been in one of the Schengen countries, Iran, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa and India within the past 14 days are prohibited from entering the United States. Russia is not on this list – currently, Russians with a visa and a negative coronavirus test are free to enter the United States.
According to the new rules, it will be possible to fly to the USA from any country. To board the plane, you will need a vaccination certificate and a negative coronavirus test taken no earlier than three days before departure. No quarantine is required for incoming travelers. Land borders with Canada and Mexico will remain closed. It was announced last week that only those vaccinated with WHO-approved vaccines would be allowed to enter the United States. At the time, Jeff Zients, the White House coordinator for pandemic preparedness, said that no final decision had been made. The decision will be made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If entry with unapproved vaccines is banned, it will not only affect those who have been vaccinated with “Sputnik V”. There are a number of vaccines that have not been approved by the WHO. One of them is the Indian drug Covaxin.
The number of people willing to be vaccinated with the “Sputnik V” vaccine in Caracas is growing. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. The number of episodes should remain the same. The End of the Story Promotional Podcasts The Russian vaccine “Sputnik V” was the first in the world to be registered. The Gamaleya Institute beat out Western pharmaceutical companies, but Russian manufacturers were immediately suspected of not conducting all the necessary tests. Vaccination in Russia was slow, largely due to Russian mistrust of the drug. The WHO approval process for “Sputnik V” has been ongoing since the spring of 2021, with the decision deadlines being pushed back several times. In early May, the WHO announced that it hoped to assess the safety of Sputnik V by the end of June or July. The last statement of the WHO concerning “Sputnik” was made on September 15. The organization suspended the certification process of the Russian vaccine after one of the factories producing it failed the WHO inspection. “During an inspection of one of the factories involved in the production of the “Sputnik V” vaccine, it was discovered that this factory did not comply with the new “best manufacturing practices” rules,” the head of the Pan American Health Organization said at the time. According to experts, it may take Russia about six months to eliminate the production deficiencies with which the World Health Organization (WHO) was dissatisfied. Then, in late July, news broke that Russia was failing to deliver vaccines to Bolivia. A month earlier, in late June, Guatemalan Health Minister Amelia Flores asked Moscow to return the $79 million advance payment made in April for the delivery of 16 million doses of the “Sputnik” vaccine. According to the country’s government, only 150,000 doses had been delivered by the end of June. However, supply problems are not related to Sputnik’s clinical efficacy. According to an independent assessment by Russian scientists in August, the vaccine is 81% effective against complications requiring hospitalization.