Beijing: China has approved its third coronavirus vaccine for the second phase of clinical trials as it reported 12 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 82,816.
China has approved three coronavirus vaccines, including the one developed by Chinese military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for clinical trials.
An “inactivated” vaccine developed by Wuhan Institute of Biological Products under the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) started its clinical trials, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
An “inactivated” vaccine consists of virus particles, bacteria, or other pathogens that have been grown in culture and then lose disease producing capacity. In contrast, live vaccines use pathogens that are still alive.
WIV has been in the eye of the storm in recent weeks as US President Donald Trump and top American officials alleged that the coronavirus may have escaped from there and demanded a probe into it. An official of the WIV denied it, terming the allegation “entirely based on speculation”.
A total of 96 persons in three age groups have received the vaccine in the first phase of clinical trial as of April 23. The vaccine has shown good safety results so far and vaccine receivers are still under observation, said the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm.
The randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trials of the inactivated vaccine are conducted in Jiaozuo, central China’s Henan Province, and the second phase of clinical trial will focus on the vaccination procedure, it said.
The vaccine will also go through the third phase of the clinical trial, and it may take about one year to complete the clinical trial before finally reaching the conclusion on the vaccine’s safety and efficacy, it said.
China has approved three COVID-19 vaccine candidates for clinical trials.
