China clears COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use: Details here
What's the story
China has given emergency use authorization to select candidate vaccines developed to prevent COVID-19, the novel coronavirus disease that originated in the country.
According to a health official from the country, the shots are currently in use, helping health workers inoculate those at high risk of contracting the respiratory disease or getting severely sick from it.
Here's all you need to know about it.
Goal
Goal to issue normal functions in crisis: Health official
Zheng Zhongwei, the head of China's coronavirus vaccine development task force, told state-controlled CCTV that the emergency use authorization has been active for select candidates developed by domestic companies.
It was issued late last month, when the unproven vaccines were moving through clinical trials, to immunize at-risk groups such as frontline medical workers and civil servants, and maintain normal functions even during the pandemic.
Quote
Measures in place to ensure emergency use remains regulated
"We have drawn up a series of plan packages, including medical consent forms, side-effects monitoring plans, rescuing plans, and compensation plans, to make sure the emergency use is well regulated and monitored," Zheng emphasized while discussing the bold move by the country.
Impact
Few adverse effects seen so far
Zheng added that the groups that have been immunized since last month have hardly reported any adverse effects, including fever.
Hence, he said, "We are planning to scale up the inoculating group to better prepare for a possible next wave in autumn and winter."
Under this effort, people working in food markets, transport systems, and services industries will get the shots.
Question
No word on which candidates are in use
Having said that, it is not exactly clear which of the vaccines have been cleared for emergency use.
Currently, China has at least 6 candidate vaccines in clinical human trials, all of which are in mid or late-stage trials.
However, Global Times had previously reported that employees of state-owned enterprises going abroad and medical workers were offered the candidates developed by Sinopharm for use.
Trials
Sinopharm's vaccines are currently in Phase-3 trials
Sinopharm has developed two COVID-19 vaccines and both of them are moving through Phase-3 trials involving 20,000 people in the UAE.
In the results from the Phase-1/2 trial, one of the candidates was proven to be safe as well as immunogenic, although the final answer will come from the ongoing trials.
The initial data for the second candidate is also awaited.