NEW DELHI: President Vladimir Putin on August 11 announced Russia is the first country to give regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine, which has “passed all the necessary checks”. The ‘ Sputnik V’ vaccine, named after the world’s first satellite launched by the Soviet Union, has not yet completed its phase-three trial, which involves wide-scale testing. On ‘Talking Point’, with StratNews Global Associate Editor, Amitabh P. Revi, Muhammad Munir, Lecturer in Molecular Virology, Lancaster University and Vladimir Andrianov, Director, Department of Clinical Research, Sechenov University discuss how close or far the globe is from a safe, efficient and equitable vaccine.