Raina McIntyre, head of the biosecurity program at the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, said she would not recommend emergency use of the vaccine before the Phase 3 trial is over. The British-Swedish company AstraZeneca stopped late-stage testing in the United States this month on a vaccine candidate after a volunteer fell seriously ill for unknown reasons.
Defective vaccines can cause significant health problems. In 2017, children who were vaccinated against Sanofi dengue became ill. When children were vaccinated against the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, in the 1960s, it also experienced side effects, resulting in the cancellation of tests.
Broad inoculation campaigns also increase the risk of taking multiple vaccines, which can have the opposite effect on an individual’s immune response.
Mac. “It could be three to six months before the Phase 3 trial results are out – it’s not long enough to wait,” said Conte. “When we have Phase 3 trial data for a potential vaccine you will likely muddy the water.”
Still, China does not want to wait.
In an interview with China Central Television, the state broadcaster, Mr. Zheng, a health official, said that when cold weather comes, the government may consider expanding the scope of who qualifies for emergency use, to people working in the markets, the transport and service industries.
Mr Zheng said: “The goal is to establish an immune barrier in the first special people, so that the performance of the entire city is guaranteed.”
Vaccine manufacturers and local governments insist the partnership is voluntary, and many people who get vaccinated pay a significant amount to do so. According to government notices, the vaccine will cost about 14 148 million, which is out of reach of many in a country where 600 million people earn.
