The UAE and Bahrain will now offer a third shot of China's Sinopharm vaccine. This comes after a group of people didn't develop antibodies, even after two doses of the vaccine. WION's Palki Sharma tells you more.

Gravitas: UAE and Bahrain to offer a third dose of Chinese vaccine

After receiving half a million Sinopharm <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus vaccine </a>doses&nbsp;as a gift from China, Pakistan on Thursday said that the shots are not effective for people over 60 years of age.&nbsp;

After conducting preliminary analysis by an expert committee, the vaccine has been recommended only for people aged 18-60 years, Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health said.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

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He added that currently the vaccine has not been recommended for people above the age of 60, but a decision would be taken when more data would be available.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-launches-covid-19-vaccine-campaign-360934">Pakistan launches COVID-19 vaccine campaign</a>

China gifted 500,000 Sinopharm vaccines to Pakistan which sent a special flight to bring the shots on Monday.&nbsp;

Pakistan began its nationwide immunisation programme on Wednesday, and the first shots were administered simultaneously in all four provinces.&nbsp;

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the inoculation drive in capital Islamabad.

Khan has said that frontline workers will be vaccinated first followed by elderly people, but with the latest development suggests that such people have to wait to get inoculated.&nbsp;

Pakistan has so far approved three Covid-19 vaccines: China's Sinopharm vaccine, Russia's Sputnik V vaccine and the Covishield vaccine developed by Oxford University-AstraZeneca and manufactured by India's Serum Institute.

After receiving half a million Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine doses as a gift from China, Pakistan on Thursday said that the shots are not effective for people over 60 years of age.

After receiving half a million Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine doses as a gift from China, Pakistan on Thursday said that the shots are not effective for people over 60 years of age. After conducting preliminary analysis by an expert committee, the vaccine has been recommended only for people aged 18-60 years, Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health said. Watch | He added that currently the vaccine has not been recommended for people above the age of 60, but a decision would be taken when more data would be available. Also read | Pakistan launches COVID-19 vaccine campaign China gifted 500,000 Sinopharm vaccines to Pakistan which sent a special flight to bring the shots on Monday. Pakistan began its nationwide immunisation programme on Wednesday, and the first shots were administered simultaneously in all four provinces. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the inoculation drive in capital Islamabad. Khan has said that frontline workers will be vaccinated first followed by elderly people, but with the latest development suggests that such people have to wait to get inoculated. Pakistan has so far approved three Covid-19 vaccines: China's Sinopharm vaccine, Russia's Sputnik V vaccine and the Covishield vaccine developed by Oxford University-AstraZeneca and manufactured by India's Serum Institute.

After receiving Chinese vaccine as gift, Pakistan says drug not effective for elderly

A Chinese drugmaker Sinopharm said on Wednesday that its coronavirus vaccine was found to be 79.3 per cent effective at preventing infection in preliminary data from the final round of testing, moving Beijing closer to possibly being able to fulfill its pledge to supply other developing countries.

This is lower than rival jabs developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna but a potential breakthrough in the battle to stem the pandemic in Asia.

China has been racing against the West to develop its own Covid-19 vaccines, with five already in large-scale Phase 3 clinical trials.

But Wednesday's announced was the first data released regarding the efficacy of a Chinese vaccine candidate.

"The protective effect of the (Sinopharm CNBG Beijing) vaccine against Covid-19 is 79.34 percent," said the Beijing Institute of Biological Products, a Sinopharm subsidiary.

Sinopharm has applied to China's drug regulator for approval of the inactivated coronavirus vaccine, the statement said, a type of inoculation using particles of the pathogen.

But China has struggled to gain international trust for its vaccine candidates, hindered by a lack of transparency on test results.

It has also been slow to complete Phase 3 trials, which had to be conducted abroad due to China's success at curbing the spread of Covid-19 within its own borders.

Chinese officials have repeatedly assured the public of the vaccines' safety, claiming that there have been no serious adverse reactions.

More than one million people have already been vaccinated with unapproved vaccines in China under its emergency use programme, including frontline health workers, state-owned enterprise employees and workers planning to travel abroad.

The United Arab Emirates approved a Sinopharm vaccine earlier this month, becoming the first foreign country to approve a China-developed Covid-19 vaccine. It said the vaccine was 86 percent effective, according to interim results of a Phase 3 trial.

Beijing has pledged to share the vaccine at a fair cost -- a potential boost for poorer Asian countries who are otherwise reliant on limited distribution offered by the COVAX scheme.

"China has made the firm commitment that after China's new coronavirus vaccines are completed and put into use, they will serve as a global public product and be supplied to the world at a fair and reasonable price," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Friday.

"We will also give priority to developing countries for vaccines. This will be made through a variety of ways, including through donations and aid." 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

A Chinese drugmaker Sinopharm said on Wednesday that its coronavirus vaccine was found to be 79.3 per cent effective at preventing infection in preliminary data from the final round of testing, moving Beijing closer to possibly being able to fulfill its pledge to supply other developing countries.

A Chinese drugmaker Sinopharm said on Wednesday that its coronavirus vaccine was found to be 79.3 per cent effective at preventing infection in preliminary data from the final round of testing, moving Beijing closer to possibly being able to fulfill its pledge to supply other developing countries. This is lower than rival jabs developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna but a potential breakthrough in the battle to stem the pandemic in Asia. China has been racing against the West to develop its own Covid-19 vaccines, with five already in large-scale Phase 3 clinical trials. But Wednesday's announced was the first data released regarding the efficacy of a Chinese vaccine candidate. "The protective effect of the (Sinopharm CNBG Beijing) vaccine against Covid-19 is 79.34 percent," said the Beijing Institute of Biological Products, a Sinopharm subsidiary. Sinopharm has applied to China's drug regulator for approval of the inactivated coronavirus vaccine, the statement said, a type of inoculation using particles of the pathogen. But China has struggled to gain international trust for its vaccine candidates, hindered by a lack of transparency on test results. It has also been slow to complete Phase 3 trials, which had to be conducted abroad due to China's success at curbing the spread of Covid-19 within its own borders. Chinese officials have repeatedly assured the public of the vaccines' safety, claiming that there have been no serious adverse reactions. More than one million people have already been vaccinated with unapproved vaccines in China under its emergency use programme, including frontline health workers, state-owned enterprise employees and workers planning to travel abroad. The United Arab Emirates approved a Sinopharm vaccine earlier this month, becoming the first foreign country to approve a China-developed Covid-19 vaccine. It said the vaccine was 86 percent effective, according to interim results of a Phase 3 trial. Beijing has pledged to share the vaccine at a fair cost -- a potential boost for poorer Asian countries who are otherwise reliant on limited distribution offered by the COVAX scheme. "China has made the firm commitment that after China's new coronavirus vaccines are completed and put into use, they will serve as a global public product and be supplied to the world at a fair and reasonable price," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Friday. "We will also give priority to developing countries for vaccines. This will be made through a variety of ways, including through donations and aid." (With inputs from agencies)

Chinese drugmaker: Sinopharm vaccine 79.3% effective in final tests

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday officially registered the coronavirus vaccine produced by Chinese drug giant Sinopharm, saying it was 86 per cent effective according to the analysis of third-phase trials.

The health ministry "has announced the official registration" of the vaccine, state news agency WAM said, without elaborating on how it would now be used.&nbsp;

The vaccine has been undergoing third-phase trials in the Emirates since July, and it was approved for emergency use for healthcare workers in September.

"The announcement is a significant vote of confidence by the UAE’s health authorities in the safety and efficacy of this vaccine," WAM said.

UAE health officials have reviewed Sinopharm's interim analysis of the third-phase trials which shows it is 86 per cent effective against coronavirus, the report said.

"The analysis also shows the vaccine to have 99 per cent seroconversion rate of neutralising antibody and 100 per cent effectiveness in preventing moderate and severe cases of the disease.

"Furthermore, the analysis shows no serious safety concerns."

China has four vaccine products in the final stages of development, three of which -- including Sinopharm -- use an inactivated form of the novel coronavirus to boost immunity.

This means they only need to be refrigerated and can be easily distributed compared to jabs developed by rivals Pfizer and BioNTech or Moderna, which have reported efficacy of 95 per cent and 94 per cent respectively but need to be transported at minus 70 to 20 degrees Celsius.&nbsp;

However, Chinese drugmakers have not released any data on their vaccines' safety or efficacy.

Chinese vaccine makers also have chequered reputations, after major scandals at home involving expired or poor quality products. While the government's domestic handling of the virus has won support within China, overseas buyers are cautious.

Chinese vaccine frontrunners Sinovac and Sinopharm have pre-orders for less than 500 million doses in total by mid-November, according to data from London consultancy Airfinity, mostly from countries that have participated in trials.

Two vaccines have undergone third-phase trials in the UAE, the Sinopharm project and Russia's Sputnik-V, named after the Soviet-era satellite.

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum said in November that he had received an experimental coronavirus vaccine, joining other top UAE officials to take part in the trials.

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday officially registered the coronavirus vaccine produced by Chinese drug giant Sinopharm, saying it was 86 per cent effective according to the analysis of third-phase trials.

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday officially registered the coronavirus vaccine produced by Chinese drug giant Sinopharm, saying it was 86 per cent effective according to the analysis of third-phase trials. The health ministry "has announced the official registration" of the vaccine, state news agency WAM said, without elaborating on how it would now be used. The vaccine has been undergoing third-phase trials in the Emirates since July, and it was approved for emergency use for healthcare workers in September. "The announcement is a significant vote of confidence by the UAE’s health authorities in the safety and efficacy of this vaccine," WAM said. UAE health officials have reviewed Sinopharm's interim analysis of the third-phase trials which shows it is 86 per cent effective against coronavirus, the report said. "The analysis also shows the vaccine to have 99 per cent seroconversion rate of neutralising antibody and 100 per cent effectiveness in preventing moderate and severe cases of the disease. "Furthermore, the analysis shows no serious safety concerns." China has four vaccine products in the final stages of development, three of which -- including Sinopharm -- use an inactivated form of the novel coronavirus to boost immunity. This means they only need to be refrigerated and can be easily distributed compared to jabs developed by rivals Pfizer and BioNTech or Moderna, which have reported efficacy of 95 per cent and 94 per cent respectively but need to be transported at minus 70 to 20 degrees Celsius. However, Chinese drugmakers have not released any data on their vaccines' safety or efficacy. Chinese vaccine makers also have chequered reputations, after major scandals at home involving expired or poor quality products. While the government's domestic handling of the virus has won support within China, overseas buyers are cautious. Chinese vaccine frontrunners Sinovac and Sinopharm have pre-orders for less than 500 million doses in total by mid-November, according to data from London consultancy Airfinity, mostly from countries that have participated in trials. Two vaccines have undergone third-phase trials in the UAE, the Sinopharm project and Russia's Sputnik-V, named after the Soviet-era satellite. Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum said in November that he had received an experimental coronavirus vaccine, joining other top UAE officials to take part in the trials.

UAE registers China's Sinopharm vaccine, says 86% effective