"As for the Russian vaccine, we would like to learn more, as there is still not enough transparency. We are constantly engaged in exchanges at different levels, between institutes that traditionally maintain contact," Spahn told reporters.
Spahn said in August that safety and efficiency should be prioritised over speed after Russia registered the world's first COVID-19 vaccine.
He added that the absence of phase 3 trials, which involve vaccinating thousands of volunteers, makes giving the Russian vaccine to millions "or even billions" of people dangerous.
Russia registered the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine, named Sputnik V and developed by the Gamaleya Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, on 11 August, announcing that it will hold the Phase 3 trials involving around 2,000 people. The Russian Ministry of Health has said that Sputnik V underwent all the necessary checks and was proven to be capable of building immunity against the virus.
The head of the investment fund, Kirill Dmitriev has stated that more than 20 nations have applied for the purchase of a billion Russian coronavirus vaccine shots.
