NATIONWIDE — Dr. Anthony Fauci says he’s skeptical that Russia’s coronavirus vaccine has proved to be safe and effective.

What You Need To Know

  • Russia announced Tuesday it approved coronavirus vaccine

  • Fauci says he desn't believe Russia has conducted proper testing

  • Doctor says U.S. is pursuing at least 12 vaccines itself

A day after Russia declared victory in the race to approve a vaccine, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, voiced his concerns during a panel discussion for National Geographic, ABC News reported.

"I hope that the Russians have actually, definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective," Fauci said. "I seriously doubt that they've done that.

"Having a vaccine ... and proving that a vaccine is safe and effective are two different things.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted the vaccine, dubbed Sputnik-V, has undergone necessary testing that proves it offers a lasting immunity to the virus. He said one of his adult daughters has already been inoculated.

But Fauci isn’t alone in raising the alarm about Russia’s vaccine, which was approved without conducting Phase 3 trials. In addition to safety concerns, experts fear a failed vaccine could fuel anti-vaccination and anti-science sentiment.

Russia says it plans to begin administering its vaccine to doctors within the next two weeks and to its general population this fall.

Fauci said Americans need to understand that "announcements from the Chinese or from the Russians that (they) have a vaccine" differ from those made in the U.S. "because we have a way of doing things in this country that we care about safety."

Fauci said the U.S. is pursing at least a dozen vaccines of its own.  

"If we wanted to take the chance of hurting a lot of people, or giving them something that doesn't work, we could start doing this, you know, next week if we wanted to,” he said. “But that's not the way it works."