Advertisement
Coronavirus pandemic
ChinaScience

Coronavirus: Sinopharm is working on an updated vaccine for variants

  • It is being developed to provide protection against Delta and Beta strains
  • Clinical trials of a booster shot are also under way, CNBG vice-president says

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
15
Several Chinese drug makers are developing updated Covid-19 vaccines, or testing booster shots or mixed technologies to boost immunity. Photo: Xinhua
Zhuang Pinghui
Drug maker Sinopharm says it is developing an updated version of its Covid-19 vaccine to protect against the Delta and Beta variants, and that clinical trials of a booster shot are under way.

In a statement, Zhang Yuntao, vice-president of Sinopharm unit China National Biotec Group (CNBG), said the company was working on inactivated vaccines for the strains and data was being provided to the drug regulator.

The highly transmissible Delta variant was first identified in India and has become the dominant strain in many countries, while Beta was first detected in South Africa and has been found to be more resistant to current vaccines.

Zhang said there was a chance that an updated vaccine and a booster shot could become available at the same time and if that was the case, for most people, “the first option in the future should be to get a booster shot”.

“If the interval between the second and third shots is slightly longer, say six months or more, the antibodies produced will be substantially higher. This will go a long way in preventing infections and disease caused by variants,” he said.

Zhang said the booster shot might be offered after herd immunity was reached and when all people eligible for the Covid-19 vaccination had received a second dose. But he said those most at risk should be given priority.

Advertisement