A coronavirus vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech was 78% effective at a late stage in Brazil, without serious Covid-19 cases, researchers said Thursday.
The trial results, which are being closely monitored by developing countries counting on the vaccine to launch mass vaccinations to end a raging pandemic, were among the preliminary findings of Turkish researchers and did not have detailed information on US and European vaccines. .
The director of the Brazilian biomedical center Butantan, Sinovac’s research and production partner, said detailed results were being submitted to health regulator Anvisa as part of a request for an emergency vaccination.
‘One thing is a presentation at a news conference. It’s something else to get and analyze the data, which Anvisa is going to do, ”said Cristina Bonorino, who sits on the scientific committee of the Brazilian Immunology Society. “If that’s what they say, it’s an excellent result,” she added.
Brazil and Indonesia, which have the most Covid-19 cases in Latin America and Southeast Asia, respectively, are preparing this month to launch the vaccine, CoronaVac. Turkey, Chile, Singapore, Ukraine and Thailand also entered into offer deals with Sinovac.
Although the effectiveness of CoronaVac is less than the 95% success rate of vaccines from Moderna Inc or Pfizer Inc with BioNTech SE, it is easier to transport and can be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures.
The 78% efficacy rate is also well above the 50% to 60% benchmark set by global health authorities for vaccines developed early in the pandemic, given the urgent need.