CoronaVac Chinese COVID-19 vaccine: safe and produces immune responses
The Chinese COVID-19 vaccine is safe and produces a good antibody response, according to the results of phase 1/2 clinical trials.
Sinovac Life Sciences developed the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine – CoronaVac having an attenuated form of SARS-CoV2 virus, Beijing. The outcomes of the trial have been released in – The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
The scientists state that they have found that 2 dosages of CoronaVac at various concentrations and various dosing schedules were well endured and moderately immunogenic in healthy people aged 18-59. The rate of adverse responses in the 3 μg and 6 μg groups were the same, showing no dosage associated safety concerns; however, more long-lasting follow-up is required.
Additionally, they observed that most negative reactions were moderate, with the most typical symptom being injection-site pain, which remains in conformity with prior data for other inactivated COVID-19 vaccines from Sinopharm.
The scientists noted that when contrasted with other COVID-19 vaccine candidates like viral-vectored vaccines or DNA or RNA vaccines, fever after vaccination with CoronaVac was comparatively low. Just one case of severe hypersensitivity, with the manifestation of urticaria 2 days after the 1st dosage of the vaccine candidate, was observed in one of the groups.
Given that this was an early-phase trial vaccine prospect, its effectiveness was not being evaluated.
For the phase 1 trials of the vaccine candidate, 144 individuals registered between 16th – 25 April, and for phase 2 trial, 600 individuals registered between 3rd – 5th May. Totally 743 individuals had received at least 1 dosage of the vaccine.
Neutralizing antibodies
The mean neutralizing antibody titers triggered by CoronaVac varied from 23.8 to 65.4, which were less than levels observed in individuals who were already infected with COVID-19 (Avg level of 163.7).
Nonetheless, the scientists still think that CoronaVac can offer adequate protection from COVID-19 based on their knowledge of other vaccines and data from preclinical studies with macaques.
Dr. Gang Zeng, study author, Sinovac Biotech, stated that CoronaVac is one of the COVID-19 vaccine prospects under trial. There are various vaccine technologies under study, each with its own benefits and downsides. CoronaVac could be a potential choice since it can be kept in a basic refrigerator between 2-8ºC, which is normal for a lot of currently available vaccines, including flu.
Dr. Gang Zeng stated that the vaccine might likewise remain stable for up to 3 years in storage, which would certainly provide some benefits for circulation to areas where access to refrigeration is difficult. Data from phase 3 research studies will certainly be important before any suggestions regarding the possible uses of CoronaVac can be executed.
