China approves a fifth Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use

By Shifaan Ryklief Last updated Mar 17, 2021

The new shot is a recombinant protein subunit vaccine, containing purified pieces of the virus’s protein to train the immune system.

Blue bottles of vaccine in rows. — This marks the first approved vaccine by China using the technique of a recombinant protein subunit vaccine. Picture: Open Content

CAPE TOWN, March 17 (ANA) – China approved its fifth Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use on Wednesday, a recombinant protein subunit vaccine developed by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

According to the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China’s website, this marks the first vaccine using this technique to be approved by the country.

Sinopharm and Sinovac led the way for locally manufactured vaccines that have since been used in more than 45 countries. Sinopharm, which boasts two vaccines, and one by Sinovac are inactivated vaccines, while CanSino produced an adenoviral vector jab.

The new vaccine is in late-stage clinical trials in Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Ecuador and Pakistan.

“Rather than injecting a whole inactivated pathogen to trigger an immune response, like previously approved vaccines, subunit protein vaccines contain purified pieces of the virus’s protein to train the immune system,” read the statement.

“These fragments are incapable of causing disease, making such vaccines very safe,” it said.

With early and mid-stage clinical trials completed in October, no severe adverse effects were recorded. And, despite no information currently available to the public on the efficacy rate, the CDC says the vaccine is on par with US biotech company Novavax, which is another maker of a recombinant nanoparticle subunit vaccine.

Last week, Novavax released late-stage trial results which showed a 96.4% efficacy rate against mild, moderate and severe Covid-19 strains.

Meanwhile, China has vaccinated more than 60 million people and is aiming to inoculate 40% of its population before July.

“The country’s mass vaccination programme is currently targeting key groups, including workers at higher risk of infection, essential personnel, and people working in border regions and labour-intensive industries,” Li Bin, vice-minister of the National Health Commission, said in a news conference on Monday.

– African News Agency (ANA); Edited by Yaron Blecher