OREANDA-NEWS. The decision of the World Vaccine Congress to give the palm to the American drug for the coronavirus Moderna was geopolitically motivated, the Russian Sputnik V is not worse than the American vaccine, says Mark van Ranst, one of the leading virologists and the most cited experts in Belgium in the field of COVID-19.

The development of the American company Moderna and the US National Institutes of Health was recognized as the best vaccine for COVID-19 at the online World Vaccine Congress Washington 2021 on Wednesday. Moderna's drug, licensed for emergency use in the United States and several other countries, has surpassed AstraZeneca, Bharat Biotech, Janssen, Medicago, Novavax, Pfizer / BioNtech, Sputnik V, and Zoetis, an animal drug.

The virologist told RIA Novosti: "I would not attach much importance to this award. The World Vaccine Congress has existed for almost 20 years and is respected, especially across the Atlantic, but everyone should understand that geopolitics is interfering at this level."

The expert noted that the level of efficiency of Sputnik V is not inferior to that demonstrated by the winner of the year, according to him, Moderna, Sputnik V and Pfizer demonstrate "an unprecedented level of efficiency - over 90%."

The expert also pointed to the economic and geopolitical rationale behind the decision to award Moderna. “The United States is positioning itself in a big race to vaccinate the world. Sputnik V was the first to be developed, and from the outset we have seen mostly political reactions to downplay the achievements of Russian scientists ... The awarding of this Moderna award is probably mainly economic. solution, "said van Ranst.