Health officials in Brazil said on Tuesday that a vaccine produced in China for COVID-19 is just over 50 percent effective in preventing infections, above World Health Organization (WHO) benchmark standards for vaccine efficacy. , but far below several vaccines produced by Western countries.
The New York Times reported that the Butantan Institute in São Paulo released findings indicating that the CoronaVac injection produced by Sinovac was much less effective than the competing candidates produced by Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
The actual effectiveness rate is also much lower than the rate that authorities previously estimated the candidate for Sinovac would have; it was reported last week that authorities in São Paulo had estimated CoronaVac to be 78 percent effective in preventing COVID-19.
The difference appears to be in terms of data collection, as the figures released last week did not count patients who had “very mild” coronavirus infections after receiving the injection.
Overall, CoronaVac remains 100 percent effective in preventing “severe” or “moderate” coronavirus infections, the Butantan Institute found, while mild or very mild infections remain possible after receiving the injection.
The lower rate of effectiveness of the candidate for Sinovac could lead to less demand for Chinese public health specialists; The government of China has sought to strengthen ties with countries around the world through its vaccine distribution program.
China has sought an accelerated launch of its vaccine in recent weeks and announced an effort to vaccinate 50 million people within its borders before January 15, allowing a second injection to be administered to many before the Lunar New Year celebrations begin. in the country.
A second vaccine candidate produced in China by Sinopharm has been rated by health officials in the UAE as 86 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 infections.