The Coronavirus vaccine developed by a Chinese pharmaceutical company, Sinovac, has proven to be safe and effective among children and adolescents, early-stage clinical trials have shown.
According to details, 552 children and adolescents aged between 3-17 years participated in the clinical trial. More than 96% of the participants developed antibodies after receiving the two doses of Sinovac’s vaccine, CoronaVac.
ALSO READ
IHC Orders to Dismiss National Bank’s President and Chairman BoD
No major differences in immune response were detected among children and adolescents. However, adolescents developed higher levels of neutralizing antibodies than children because they received higher vaccine dosages.
Overall, the collective immune response among children and adolescents was found to be higher in comparison to adults that was determined in previous trials.
CoronaVac was well-tolerated among both groups and no severe side effects were reported during the early-stage clinical trial.
General Manager of Sinovac, Gao Qiang, said that “children and adolescents were an important area of concern because even though they usually showed no symptoms or very mild ones, they were still at risk of severe illness from COVID-19.”
ALSO READ
FIA to Investigate Schengen Visa Stickers Controversy
China is aiming to immunize 70% of its total population by the end of this year to build a “great wall of immunity.” However, healthcare experts have claimed that more than 85% of the total Chinese population needs to be vaccinated to build a “great wall of immunity.”
As per China’s recent census, children aged less than 14 account for 18% of its total population, which justifies its urgency to ascertain the safety and effectiveness of Coronavirus vaccines among children and adolescents.
