Filenews 4 June 2021
By Robert Hart
Concerns about the effectiveness of the Chinese company Sinopharm's coronavirus vaccine are growing.
This is the latest in a series of "blows" that the state-owned Chinese company has received, which only recently received the approval of the World Medicines Agency.
People in vulnerable groups - such as obese, over 50 years of age or suffering from chronic diseases - are encouraged to receive an additional booster dose from Pfizer's vaccine six months after taking the last dose with the Sinopharm formulation, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Although Bahrain's deputy health minister, Waleed Khalifa Al Manea, is reported to state that the Chinese company's vaccine provides a high level of protection, the policy change comes at a time when the country has already begun administering a booster dose of the Sinopharm vaccine. The reason is that the country is facing an outbreak of coronavirus five times more deadly than India's, even though about 50% of its population has already been fully vaccinated.
Several other countries with high vaccination rates, which have also largely used the Sinopharm vaccine, are also facing serious flare-ups of the pandemic, with the United Arab Emirates and Seychelles already considering or carrying out booster doses to their vaccinated citizens.
Concerns worldwide about the effectiveness of Chinese vaccines - in particular those of Sinopharm and Sinovac, both of which have received emergency approval from the World Health Organisation - have intensified due to the lack of available clinical data needed to verify manufacturers' claims, the lack of more generally available data and the widespread politicisation of vaccines.
The study on the results of the Phase 3 clinical trial of the Sinopharm vaccine, evaluated by experts and published in late May, found that the Chinese vaccine is 79% effective in preventing symptomatic disease. At the same time, however, it is noted that the study participants were mainly young, healthy and male, which means that "there is insufficient evidence to assess its effectiveness in people with chronic diseases, women, (and) older people", a concern that the WHO also expressed for the elderly.
The study authors also point out that it is not possible to draw conclusions from the clinical trial on the prevention of both severe and asymptomatic Covid-19 disease.
Sinopharm did not respond to Forbes' request for comment on the matter.
The first "bell"
George Gao, head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, acknowledged the low effectiveness of China's vaccines during a conference in April, in a move that appeared to be an inadvertent differentiation from the party line.
Gao said China is "formally considering" making changes to its vaccines in order "to resolve the problem that the effectiveness of existing vaccines is not high". China's response was immediate, raising the debate on social media and referring to a misinterpretation of Gao's statement. Speaking to state media, Gao later spoke of a "misunderstanding" of his sayings.
The state-owned pharmaceutical company Sinopharm, after all, rarely allays public concerns about the effectiveness of its formulations. Chinese officials argue that the pile of questions is a sign of anti-Chinese bias and speak of selective reports that ignore the lack of evidence for other vaccines.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the Wall Street Journal article on the Seychelles "reveals the health-damaging mindset of undermining China at every turn."
Beijing defends its vaccines
China, in fact, defends the quality and effectiveness of its vaccines, which it began administering long before the final stage clinical trials were completed, arguing that they are effective and necessary tools to tackle the pandemic, and has also used them as a means of practicing foreign policy all this time.
Moreover, the efficacy of Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines exceeds the 50% threshold that both the WHO and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have stated that it must meet a coronavirus vaccine in order to consider that it can have a significant impact on saving lives in a world where vaccine demand continues to far exceed supply
In addition, the administration of an additional booster dose to increase immunity and treat mutations will probably also be necessary in the case of many vaccines developed in the West - already large vaccine companies are working on dose boosters - although it does not appear that this additional dose will be necessary only six months after the completion of vaccination, as is the case with the Chinese vaccine.
The case of the UNITED STATES
Meanwhile, even more concern is the Wall Street Journal's report on the case of the United Arab Emirates. The country, which has started administering booster doses of the Sinopharm vaccine as early as March, has reportedly launched a secret campaign to re-vaccinate its citizens with Pfizer's vaccine.
The Wall Street Journal reports that "dozens of vaccinated" have revealed that they were re-vaccinated, and some of them are said to have not developed antibodies after being immunization with the Sinopharm vaccine.
Source: Forbes
