The Chilean Ministry of Health has released real-world data from its use of the Covid-19 vaccine, developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac, which suggests the jab is less effective than its peers.
In a briefing and infographic published on Friday, the ministry said its data proved the CoronaVac jab to be 67% effective in preventing symptomatic infections of Covid-19. The infographic also showed that the vaccine was 80% effective at preventing death from the virus and 85% effective at preventing hospitalization.
The health ministry’s publication showed that 90.1% of the vaccines administered in Chile so far have been with Sinovac.
During trials, CoronaVac demonstrated greatly varying degrees of efficacy. While a Turkish trial suggested it was between 65% and 83% effective, a Brazilian trial indicated only 50.4% efficacy. Officials in China have dismissed the results from Brazil, however, and claim the jab is 100% effective in preventing hospitalization.
The release of the data comes as Chile battles soaring Covid-19 cases, despite fully vaccinating a third of its population, with many more citizens having received their first dose. Friday’s infographic suggests infections are currently near the levels seen at the peak of the first wave, in 2020.
On Saturday, Gao Fu, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, expressed concerns about the level of protection Covid vaccines offer against the virus. “We will solve the issue that current vaccines don’t have very high protection rates,” he noted, adding that mixing vaccine shots might be the answer. He informed the Associated Press on Sunday that he meant “vaccines across the world – not particularly in China.”
However, Friday’s data from Chile may reinforce concerns about the jab’s efficacy. The Ministry of Health did not indicate whether the increasing prevalence of new variants, including the Brazilian strain, was impacting vaccine effectiveness.
While trial data has suggested the Moderna, Pfizer, and Sputnik vaccines all had efficacy rates above 90% when it came to preventing symptomatic Covid, the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca shots appeared less effective. Johnson & Johnson trial data indicated efficacy of 66% globally and 72% in the US for the one-shot vaccine, while the AstraZeneca jab was 76% effective in the most recent US-based trial.
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