Brazilian health officials said on Tuesday that a vaccine produced for China for COVID-19 is just over 50% effective in preventing infections, above the World Health Organization (WHO) reference standards for vaccine effectiveness, but well below a few vaccines. produced by Western nations.
The New York Times reported that the Butantan Institute in São Paulo published findings indicating that the CoronaVac injection produced by Sinovac was much less effective than competing candidates produced by Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
The effective effective rate is also much lower than the rate previously estimated by the Sinovac candidate; it was reported last week that São Paolo officials estimated that CoronaVac would be 78% effective in preventing COVID-19.
The difference seems to be in terms of data collection, as the figures released last week did not include patients who had “very mild” coronavirus infections after receiving the vaccine.
In general, CoronaVac remains 100% effective in preventing “severe” or “moderate” coronavirus infections, the Butantan Institute found, while mild or very mild infections remain possible after receiving the vaccine.
The lower effectiveness rate of the Sinovac candidate could lead to lower demand for Chinese public health experts; The Chinese government has sought to establish closer ties with countries around the world through its vaccine distribution program.
China has been pursuing an accelerated launch of its vaccine in recent weeks and has announced an effort to vaccinate 50 million people inside its borders before January 15, allowing many to be given a second shot before the start of the Lunar New Year holidays of the country.
A second vaccine candidate produced in China by Sinopharm has been considered by health officials in the United Arab Emirates to be 86% effective in preventing COVID-19 infections.