Chinese Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine is 97% effective, Bio Farma says

The coronavirus vaccine developed by Chinese company Sinovac is up to 97% effective, according to interim data from tests by Indonesia’s state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma.

“Our clinical trial team found, within one month, that the interim data shows up to 97% for its efficacy,” Bio Farma spokesperson Iwan Setiawan said at a news conference, reports Reuters. Some 1,600 people participated in the clinical trials.

However, the exact efficacy of the vaccine will not be determined until January, according to a Sinovac spokesperson, as these are interim data, as the company is still gathering data on efficacy from the ongoing Phase 3 trial.

According to him, the 97% refers to the seroconversion ratio, which is not necessarily the same as efficiency, as a high seroconversion rate does not necessarily mean that the vaccine effectively protects people against Covid-19.

Unlike Western vaccine manufacturers, the Chinese have so far not released efficiency percentages for the final stage tests.

Previously, it was found that Moderna’s vaccine is 94.5% effective, while that of Pfizer/BioNTech would be 95% effective.

Ref: brusselstimes