(Reuters) – Chinese vaccine maker Sinovac Biotech Ltd’s COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to be effective in late-stage studies in Brazil, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing people involved in vaccine development.
The state’s Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo, which is organizing subsequent tests for Brazil’s Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine, said Monday that any reports of the effectiveness of the shooting ahead of an announcement on Wednesday were “mere speculation.”
Brazil is the first country to complete subsequent tests of CoronaVac, which is also being tested in Indonesia and Turkey, the Journal reported here.
The results of studies in Brazil place CoronaVac above the 50% threshold that international scientists consider necessary to protect people, the report of the Journal shows.
Butantan is set to announce CoronaVac’s effectiveness rate on Wednesday, according to the Journal.
Sinovac did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Candidates for the Sinovac and AstraZeneca Plc vaccine could be ready for use in Brazil by mid-February, the country’s health minister said last week.
Report by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Peter Cooney