Russia’s Covid vaccine trials produced such implausible statistics that the most likely explanation is that the results have been fabricated, according to an analysis by data researchers.
Last year Russia claimed that its Sputnik V vaccine, which is based on similar technology to the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, was 91.6 per cent effective at preventing infection.
Unlike with other vaccines, where the published trial data showed fluctuations by age, this efficacy result appeared broadly the same in all age groups.
A team of scientists conducted a formal statistical analysis and found that only one time in 4,000 would a trial produce such consistent results in the real world, even if you assumed that all ages really did respond the same.
They said that the most reasonable
