U.S. officials alleged Russian intelligence officials of casting doubt on the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine said a report by the Wall Street Journal. The report stated Russian intelligence promoted fake news. These misinformation campaigns on social media questioned the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine.

"We can say these outlets are directly linked to Russian intelligence services," an official at the State Department's Global Engagement Center reported. "They're all foreign-owned. Based outside of the United States. They vary a lot in reach, tone, and audience, but they're all part of the Russian propaganda and disinformation ecosystem."

Russia wants to promote Sputnik V by attacking Pfizer

Last November, Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin announced his country will be distributing the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine internationally. The country announced a successful Covid vaccine in August although Sputnik V was only released before going through phase 3 trials. Phase 3 trials are mandatory in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration won't approve vaccines or drugs without them. The US intelligence said Russian efforts to cast doubt about the Pfizer vaccine help boost the sales of Sputnik V, stated the Journal report.

On the other hand, Johnson & Johnson also entered the coronavirus vaccine market; expecting to distribute its vaccines to over 4 million Americans soon. The company’s vaccine received approval from FDA in late February. The company aims to vaccinate up to 20 million by the end of March and 100 million by June. 

Pfizer was the first company in the world to receive approval from FDA to distribute the vaccine. The New-York based company’s vaccine requires two doses, while Johnson & Johnson requires one dose. Last week, Pres. Joe Biden claimed, by May the US will have enough doses of vaccine for "every adult in America."

28 million people in the U.S. caught the coronavirus since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus as a pandemic. The highly contagious virus resulted in the death of over 500,000 in the U.S. while 2.59 million people died worldwide. 

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