What sets China's CoronaVac apart from other vaccines?
Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara, who chairs the Task Group on Vaccine Evaluation and Selection (TG-VES) said the platform used by Sinovac Biotech in producing its coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine is inactivated virus, which is the "most tried and tested” technology.
"The Sinovac vaccine uses a classical platform for vaccine production - inactivated virus. The same platform is used in polio vaccine, hepatitis A vaccine, rabies vaccines and most influenza vaccines,” she told the Manila Bulletin.
At present, there are four vaccine platforms and the inactivated virus is the “world standard.”
"Among the COVID-19 vaccine platforms, the inactivated virus is the most tried and tested,” Guevarra said.
Based on Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey clinical trials, the overall vaccine efficacy of Sinovac ranges from 65 percent to 91 percent.
She noted that the newest platform is the Messenger RNA or mRNA, which is used by Pfizer and Moderna.
As per evaluation of the FDA and concurred in by expert groups, the safety profile for clinically healthy individuals aged 18 to 59 years is good.
Adverse events were mild to moderate, and the possibility of allergy or anaphylaxis is minimal
The Department of Health (DOH) said, "Clinical trial data show that the vaccine is 50 percent effective in preventing mild symptoms, 78 percent effective against moderate symptoms, and 100 percent effective against severe symptoms."
The DOH said the vaccine is effective for healthcare workers. Despite the initial FDA recommendation of lower efficacy in healthcare workers due to their exposure, experts from the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NTAG) and Technical Advisory Group (TAG) reviewed the data. After the evaluation, the experts concur that the vaccine is beneficial even for healthcare workers, based on overall evidence.
“This is enough to meet our goal of preventing deaths, first and foremost by preventing moderate to sever COVID-19 cases,” it said.