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Coronavirus: Sinovac vaccine gives 70 per cent less protection against South African variant, but Hongkongers urged to still get jab
- New data published by mainland scientists shows drop in level of protection
- Health experts looking into whether mixing vaccines more effective in combating new strains
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The level of protection offered by the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine dropped 70 per cent against the more infectious South African variant, according to data published by mainland scientists, but Hong Kong health experts on Tuesday sought to reassure residents that jabs available in the city were still effective.
One public health expert said in the long term the city could look into findings on mixing Covid-19 vaccines, which is being studied in different parts of the world, to see whether that might offer better protection against variants.
Hong Kong has been on the alert against the threat of coronavirus variants after a 29-year-old man was confirmed on Saturday to be the city’s first locally detected Covid-19 case with a mutant strain.
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Health officials on Tuesday revealed the man was infected with the South African variant, known as B. 1.351, which could be about 50 per cent more transmissive than the original strain of the virus.
Government pandemic adviser Professor David Hui Shu-cheong said both vaccines available in the city, the mainland-made Sinovac jab and the BioNTech one from Germany, were less effective at fighting the South African strain.
02:01
China considers mixing Covid-19 vaccine types to boost effectiveness
China considers mixing Covid-19 vaccine types to boost effectiveness
“[Protection offered by] all vaccines dropped when facing the South African variant,” said Hui, who chairs the Centre for Health Protection’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases.
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