[ad_1]
BEIJING (China Daily / ANN): Covid19 experimental vaccines developed by Chinese researchers are safe, and ongoing efforts to push for their approval in the market will strictly follow the rules of science, a health official said on Monday (December 21). ).
China is conducting third-stage clinical trials for five candidate vaccines made in China overseas and has administered emergency vaccines to nearly 1 million people in the country, according to Zheng Zhongwei, a National Health Commission official who leads the working group on vaccines. development.
“These vaccines have fully demonstrated the safety of vaccines made in China. There are some adverse reactions, but no serious adverse effects have been reported,” he said during a news conference on Monday.
He added that the results of third-stage human trials are needed to determine the efficacy of these vaccines, although data from earlier phases of clinical trials and reports from recipients of emergency inoculations in high-risk countries have already demonstrated the protective effects of these doses.
“Some leading developers have just obtained enough cases to conduct an analysis of their effectiveness. They have started submitting the necessary materials for approval to the National Medical Products Administration,” Zheng said.
Market approval will only be granted after the submitted trial findings meet the requirements of the main drug regulator, he added.
Zheng emphasized that throughout the vaccine development process in China, respecting the laws of science has always been the fundamental principle.
“I believe that after the results of the third stage trial are revealed, the drug regulator will move forward with the registration and approval procedures at a relatively rapid pace,” he said. “Some manufacturers are also preparing for mass production.”
China has been in a leading position in the global race for a Covid-19 vaccine. As of December 2, a total of 15 vaccines made in China using five different technologies have entered clinical trials, according to Zheng.
Three inactivated vaccines, two developed by Sinopharm and one by Sinova, were among the first candidates in the world to begin the third and final stage of clinical trials, according to Zheng.
The fourth inactivated vaccine created by the Institute of Medical Biology of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Kunming, Yunnan Province, has recently passed ethical reviews in foreign countries and the third phase of the trial is about to begin.
Third-stage trials of the adenovirus vaccine in Russia, Pakistan and Mexico have enrolled more than 20,000 people, and the recombinant protein vaccine is being tested in Uzbekistan, he said.
Chinese health officials said over the weekend that in a two-stage vaccination campaign, the country will first focus on vaccinating all people at high risk of contracting the virus during the winter and spring.
Zheng said that the emergency vaccination program mainly covers cold chain workers, border control personnel, front-line disease control and medical workers, and people going abroad to work.
Since its official launch in July, authorities have gradually expanded the scope of the program and have been prudent and careful. All the people who received the doses were inoculated voluntarily, he said.
He added that local governments are now evaluating the number of people expected to participate in the program during the winter and spring.
When a vaccine is finally released for public use, an estimated 70 percent of the population will have to be vaccinated to develop herd immunity, which will eradicate the virus, said Wang Huaqing, principal investigator at the China Center for the Control and Prevention of diseases, he said Monday.
He added that before herd immunity is established, the public is urged to adhere to personal protection measures, such as wearing masks and maintaining social distance. – China Daily / Asia News Network
[ad_2]
