Sinovac vaccine works on British and South African variants – Brazil Institute

SERRANA, Brazil (Reuters) – The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese Sinovac Biotech is effective against British and South African variants, the vaccine’s Brazilian partner said on Wednesday, citing Chinese trial results.

“We have tested this vaccine in China against the English and South African variants, with good results,” said Dimas Covas, head of the Butantan Biomedical Center in Sao Paulo, which is leading national trials of the Chinese vaccine and providing doses to the Brazil. Ministry.

Covas did not give more details on the exact effectiveness of the vaccine against these strains.

Butantan is also testing the vaccine, known as CoronaVac, against the Brazilian variant of the virus that has emerged in the city of Manaus, he said.

“Soon we will have the results and we are very confident that it will do the job,” said Covas.

Covas was speaking at a press conference in the small town of Serrana, inside the state of Sao Paulo, where Butantan on Wednesday began a mass vaccination campaign aimed at inoculating the entire adult population against the COVID-19 to test if it reduces the rate of infection. .

Covas said he expects CoronaVac to have an advantage over other vaccines because of the technology it uses – an inactivated version of a strain of coronavirus.

The effectiveness of the Chinese vaccine against the Brazilian strain in particular will be vital for Brazil. The government has secured 100 million doses and is making the vaccine a centerpiece of its vaccination campaign.

Covas’ comments come as several cities in Brazil, including the state capitals of Rio, Salvador and Cuiaba, have suspended new vaccinations because they were running out of doses.