Advertisement
Coronavirus: China may approve BioNTech vaccine in June, report says
- Authorities expect it to get the go-ahead ‘somewhere in the June time frame’, head of AmCham Shanghai told Bloomberg
- It could be the first foreign-made Covid-19 jab to be administered in the mainland
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
20
China is expected to approve a Covid-19 vaccine made by German firm BioNTech in June, according to a Bloomberg report citing a US business leader.
Ker Gibbs, head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, told the outlet that the Shanghai government said it expected the shot to be approved “somewhere in the June time frame”, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. A direct conversation between AmCham and vice-mayor Zong Ming was cited.
A spokesman for AmCham Shanghai declined to comment further when contacted by the South China Morning Post.
Advertisement
If approved, the BioNTech vaccine could be the first foreign-made Covid-19 shot to be administered in mainland China, where an ambitious vaccine roll-out programme has only included jabs developed by domestic companies so far.
02:01
China considers mixing Covid-19 vaccine types to boost effectiveness
China considers mixing Covid-19 vaccine types to boost effectiveness
Those vaccine makers have relied on more traditional technologies, and the country also has yet to approve an mRNA vaccine, a groundbreaking technology that has yielded significantly higher efficacy rates in clinical trials than vaccines in use in China.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x