Coronavirus: Chinese vaccine ready for use in November, top scientist says

Clinical trials have been progressing smoothly and preparations are being made to go into mass production, CDC’s chief biosafety expert Wu Guizhen says

Wu says she was inoculated herself in April and ‘has felt quite good’ since

Reading Time:2 minutes

A top Chinese scientist says a locally produced Covid-19 vaccine could be ready for use in November. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:00pm, 15 Sep 2020Updated: 6:44am, 16 Sep 2020

Chinese people will have access to locally developed coronavirus vaccines as early as November or December, according to a top scientist from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Clinical trials of several vaccine candidates had been progressing smoothly and preparations were being made to go into mass production, Wu Guizhen, the CDC’s chief biosafety expert, said in a programme shown on Monday night by state broadcaster CCTV.

“I joined the experimental group and had a coronavirus shot in April,” Wu said. “I’ve felt quite good in the past few months, nothing abnormal. The process of inoculation did not cause any localised pain.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 30 vaccine candidates are undergoing clinical trials around the world. Of the nine to have reached the final, phase three, stage, five were developed in China.

Wu said she was optimistic about the vaccine candidates’ efficacy and safety.

“We expect them to remain effective for one to three years … [but] the results will need to be observed for a longer time.”

On the subject of mass production, Wu said experts had been assessing the capabilities of various facilities.

“Two [plants] have won approval and the appraisal of a third is under way,” she said.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x