CoronaVac, also known as Sinovac vaccine for COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) developed and produced in China, was found to be safe and effective in children and adolescents, The Lancet Journal, the leading medical journal in the world, said in a report published on June 28.
“CoronaVac was well tolerated and safe and induced humoral responses in children and adolescents aged 3–17 years,” The Lancet Journal concluded in its report.
Based on the study, two doses of the vaccine, given 28 days apart, produce a strong antibody response among those aged between three and 17.
Chinese researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, controlled phase 1/2 clinical trial in Zanhuang County, China. The vaccine was given to more than 500 healthy children and adolescents, 96 percent of whom developed Sars-CoV-2 antibodies.
Due to the successful findings, Sinovac General Manager Gao Qiang was quoted as saying that the company will further carry out large-scale, multi-ethnic population studies in order to provide valuable data for immunization strategies for children and adolescents.
According to the influential British medical journal, the study on CoronaVac or Sinovac was funded by the Chinese National Key Research and Development Program and the Beijing Science and Technology Program.
The Philippines has procured about 12 million doses of Sinovac vaccines and was the first jab to reach the Philippines to kick off with its vaccination roll out in early March.