Coronavirus: Chile approves CoronaVac as Chinese manufacturer continues to defend its test results
- Vaccine ‘prevents serious clinical conditions that require medical assistance and hospitalisation, which is very encouraging’, public health institute says
- Sinovac says its product is designed to prevent people infected with the coronavirus from becoming seriously ill
The Chilean Public Health Institute granted authorisation on Wednesday, saying CoronaVac, as the product is known, was safe for all age groups. A final stage clinical trial conducted by Pontifical Catholic University of Chile showed the vaccine was effective in “blocking the coronavirus from reproducing”, the institute said.
“CoronaVac prevents serious clinical conditions that require medical assistance and hospitalisation, which is very encouraging,” said Heriberto García, director of the institute.
Chile, which has reported more than 680,000 Covid-19 cases and almost 17,600 deaths, placed an order for 60 million doses of Coronavac last month after sending experts to Beijing to assess Sinovac’s production facilities. The first shipment is expected to arrive in the South American country later this month.
As well as Chile, CoronaVac has been approved for emergency use by Indonesia, Turkey and Brazil, and is being used to inoculate health care workers in Azerbaijan.