Coronavirus: Sinovac claims good results against British and South African strains challenging vaccine makers

Vaccine makers prepare to develop improved booster shots to stay on top of emerging variants

Sinovac CEO says inactivated vaccines offer a broad spectrum of protection but the company did not show data backing its claim

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A health care worker receives the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine in Cape Town, South Africa, on February 17. The vaccine has been approved by South African Health Products Authority and is expected to only be given to health care workers. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:00pm, 18 Feb 2021Updated: 10:41pm, 18 Feb 2021

The emergence of a more contagious strain of the coronavirus first discovered in South Africa has kept vaccine developers around the world on their toes for fear it might impair protection offered by their products.

The developers are testing how the variant, known as B.1.351, is affecting the immunisation power induced by their vaccines and preparing to update their booster shot.

On Wednesday, Sinovac’s partner in Brazil said its Covid-19 vaccine worked well against the coronavirus variants first found in Britain and South Africa but did not provide further details.

“We have tested this vaccine in China against the English and the South African variants, with good results,” Dimas Covas, head of the Butantan Institute which tested and makes Sinovac’s vaccine in Brazil, told Reuters.

Covas did not elaborate on how well the vaccine, called CoronaVac, worked on the variants or show data to support such a conclusion.

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