Health officials in Brazil said Tuesday that a Chinese vaccine against COVID-19 is just over 50 percent effective in preventing infections, above the World Health Organization (WHO) benchmarks for the effectiveness of the vaccine, but well below several 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 the competing candidates produced by the companies Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
The actual effectiveness rate is also much lower than the rate previously estimated by the Sinovac candidate; it was reported last week that São Paolo officials had estimated that CoronaVac would be 78% effective in preventing COVID-19.
The difference appears to be in terms of data collection, as figures released last week did not count patients who experienced “very mild” coronavirus infections after receiving the vaccine.
Overall, CoronaVac remains 100% effective in preventing “severe” or “moderate” coronavirus infections, according to the Butantan Institute, while mild or very mild infections remain possible after receiving the vaccine.
The lower effectiveness rate of the Sinovac candidate could lead to a lower demand for public health disclosure experts from China; The Chinese government has tried 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 within its borders by Jan. 15, allowing it to administer a second shot before the celebrations begin. the country’s Lunar New Year.
UAE health officials estimated that a second candidate for the vaccine produced in China by Sinopharm was 86% effective in preventing COVID-19 infections.