BEIJING • China's Sinovac Biotech said late-stage trial data on its Covid-19 vaccine from Brazil and Turkey showed it prevented hospitalisation and death in Covid-19 patients, but had a much lower efficacy rate in blocking infections.

The 12,396-person trial found that the CoronaVac vaccine was 100 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19 sufferers from being hospitalised or dying and 83.7 per cent effective in avoiding cases that required any medical treatment, according to a statement on Friday.

But it was only 50.65 per cent effective at keeping people from getting infected, the statement added.

The trials evaluated the efficacy of the two-shot vaccine candidate 14 days after inoculation of participants, including healthcare workers who treat Covid-19 patients.

The vaccine has been approved for use by the general public by China's medical products regulator, Sinovac said yesterday.

It marks the second vaccine approved for public use in China, after one developed by a Beijing institute affiliated with state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) was approved last December.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has also approved the CoronaVac for those aged 60 and above after "taking into account the emergency situation", the country's food and drugs authority BPOM said in a letter to state-run pharmaceutical company Bio Farma seen by Reuters yesterday.

REUTERS