COVID-19 vaccine latest updates: Sinovac’s CoronaVac safe, early trial results show that vaccine triggers immune response

• Early trials show that Chinese COVID vaccine, CoronaVac triggers a quick immune response
• Vladimir Putin calls for a joint effort by the BRICS countries on the development of the coronavirus vaccines, suggesting that Sputnik V vaccine could be produced in China and India.
• Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine shows over 94% efficacy, Indian government is in talks with the US biotech giant.
• Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech has started Phase III trials of Covaxin, India's first indigenous vaccine for COVID-19.

After registering over 48 million COVID-19 infections, the World Health Organisation is finally expecting a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2020 or early 2021.

It takes a decade or two to design, test, and launch an effective vaccine that can protect billions of people from diseases. However, COVID-19 has forced researchers to fast-track the vaccine making process.

Here’s a look at COVID-19 vaccine updates from around the world —

Early trials show that Chinese COVID vaccine, CoronaVac triggers a quick immune response

Preliminary trial results show that Sinovac Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac triggers a quick immune response. However the level of antibodies produced was lower than in people who recovered from the disease, Reuters reported. The research that was published in a Lancet study shows that the vaccine is safe and could provide sufficient protection.

Russian President: Sputnik V vaccine could be produced in India and China

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a joint effort by the BRICS countries on the development of the coronavirus vaccines as he suggested that Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 could be produced in China and India, which are members of the five-nation bloc.

"We believe it is important to speed up the establishment of the centre for development and research of BRICS vaccines, which we agreed to do two years ago, upon the initiative of our South African friends," Putin said while addressing the 12th BRICS summit via videoconferencing.

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine shows over 94% efficacy, Indian government is in talks with the US biotech giant.

India is in dialogue with the US-based biotech giant Moderna over the progress in the clinical trials of its coronavirus vaccine candidate, which the firm said has shown 94.5 percent efficacy, official sources said on Monday.

"We are in dialogue not only with Moderna, but also with Pfizer, Serum Institute, Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila over the progress of the clinical trials of each of the vaccine candidates and where their vaccines stand in terms safety, immunogenicity and efficacy, and regulatory approvals," a source said.

On Monday, Moderna said that its vaccine candidate against COVID-19 was found to have an efficacy of 94.5 percent.

Bharat Biotech begins phase III trials for Covaxin

Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech has started Phase III trials of Covaxin, India's first indigenous vaccine for COVID-19. The Phase III trials, which involve 26,000 volunteers across India, are being conducted in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

According to a Reuters report, Bharat Biotech COVAXIN could be launched as early as February as studies have so far shown it is safe and effective. Bharat Biotech had earlier hoped to launch it only in the second quarter of next year.

EU signs a deal with German biotech firm CureVac

According to a Reuters report, the European Union has signed a deal with German biotech firm CureVac to buy upto 405 million doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this deal takes the total supplies secured by the bloc to nearly 2 billion doses. The deal with CureVac follows EU supply agreements with AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, and Pfizer for a combined 1.4 billion doses of their potential vaccines

Pfizer’s COVID vaccine is 90% effective

The latest data from the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German biotech firm BioNTech late-stage vaccine trial shows that their COVID-19 vaccine is 90% more effective in preventing infection if a person has never come in contact with it before.

This means that those who get the vaccine will be protected within 28 days of the first dose — and there is only a two-dose schedule.

Eli Lilly gets USFDA nod for COVID antibody drug in emergency use

The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) on Monday has granted emergency approval to a synthetic antibody treatment against COVID-19 developed by Eli Lilly. The drug was shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and emergency room visits.

The drug, Bamlanivimab, is the first major drug to be approved that was designed specifically against the coronavirus.
SEE ALSO: Moderna says its coronavirus vaccine is 94.5% effective against COVID-19, a crucial victory in the fight against the pandemic

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