Chinese Sinopharm vaccine tests third dose in patients who did not generate enough antibodies against COVID-19

Scientific authorities in the United Arab Emirates have discovered a worrying problem in some people who have received the Chinese coronavirus vaccine: after being subjected to antibody tests, many of them did not register a sufficient immune response after having received vaccines. 2 doses of Sinopharm vaccine. For this reason, local authorities decided to give them a third dose.

“When it was found that some people do not respond to vaccines, which is expected with all vaccines, there was an initiative to reach these people and give them a third injection the Sinopharm vaccine, which was shown in the study to strengthen their immunity, ”he explained. Walid Zaher, chief researcher of G42 Healthcare, distributor of the Chinese vaccine in the United Arab Emirates, according to what was reported by The Washington Post.

Emirati scientist detailed on radio Dubai Eye that anyone with low antibody levels can ask their doctor to contact health authorities and an appointment will be made for another dose. However, he clarified, it is usually the officials who approach the person after having been tested for antibodies.

Zaher likened the need for a third vaccine to that for a flu booster and noted that those who do need are a “very few”.

The need for a third dose of the Sinopharm vaccine was first reported on March 10 by the health sector spokesperson, Farida al-Hosani, to the newspaper “The National”. However, the official did not specify what number or percentage of vaccinated required this new dose or if its administration had been recommended by the Chinese pharmaceutical.

According to doctors, the the Wall Street newspaper, there have been cases of people with little or no antibody response after two doses of Sinopharm.

Amid the global vaccination campaign to contain the spread of the coronavirus, These revelations could raise questions about the effectiveness of the Chinese vaccine, which is already in use in several countries. In addition to the United Arab Emirates, the Chinese immunizer has also been acquired by countries such as Egypt, Campoya, Senegal and Peru, among others.

The Sinopharm vaccine has an efficacy rate of 79%. This, according to experts, is more than enough. However, data on the Chinese immunizer has not been made public.

The United Arab Emirates began their vaccination campaign on December 9, a day after the United Kingdom, the first country to start vaccination, and It is one of the countries with the highest percentage of people vaccinated in the world, having administered more than 6.3 million doses for a population of nearly 10 million.

However, this was not reflected in its contagion curve with the same effectiveness as in other countries with similar or even lower vaccination rates.

The campaign does not prioritize any sector of the population, Rather, it is administered voluntarily and free of charge to anyone who registers voluntarily.

Although the UAE has cleared the use of Sinopharm, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca vaccines, as well as Russia’s Sputnik V, China is the most available after the participation of the Arab country in the phase of clinical trials.

According to data from OurWorldinData.org, as of February 23, at least a dose of some of them had been administered to 35.2% of its population (the third highest rate in the world after Israel and the UK ) and there were 22.1% fully vaccinated (the second, only surpassed by Israel).

Sinopharm vaccine is applied in European countries such as Serbia and Hungary and several African countries. In Latin America, it is received by patients from Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Venezuela, while Mexico and other countries are in negotiations to acquire it.

In Peru, the integrity of the Sinopharm study was seriously questioned after local investigators themselves, as well as politicians, associates and those responsible for negotiating the purchase, secretly received Chinese doses . In addition, the lab sent protective equipment worth several thousand dollars as a courtesy while negotiations were unfolding. Even when the list of those involved was released, some of them were listed as receiving three doses. The answer at the time was that this was a small study on their part to analyze the immune response under this scheme, which did not meet any research standard.

The Chinese regime has used it as diplomatic currency to have fun with countries that have not been able to purchase large numbers of doses, facilitating some negotiations and, in some cases, sending shipments as donations. .

The severity of the pandemic is causing countries to ignore any doubts they may have about the Chinese vaccine. “Vaccines, especially those produced in the West, are reserved for rich countries,” said an Egyptian official who asked not to be named to speak with the AP agency on the matter. “We had to provide vaccination. Any vaccine ”.

Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States, the third country with the largest fully vaccinated population (9.2% at current figures, less than half of the United Arab Emirates), have managed to bend the contagion curve significantly significant after peaking in January a few weeks. after starting to vaccinate.

In the UAE, although it started vaccinating almost at the same rate as the UK and between one and two weeks earlier than the other two countries, Not only has it taken longer to start reducing new cases, the decline is considerably slower.

According to data reported this Sunday by Johns Hopkins University, the United Arab Emirates has more than 440,000 infected and 1,438 deaths from coronavirus.

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