The level of efficacy provided by the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine is compatible with that required by the World Health Organisation, the chairman of a WHO panel said.
Alejandro Cravioto’s comments were based on data provided by the Chinese manufacturer in a closed-door meeting to WHO experts last week.
The meeting also discussed the efficacy of Sinovac, another Chinese-made vaccine, against Covid-19.
Covid-19 was deemed such a severe disease, that if a vaccine is only 50 per cent effective, it's still worth using.
Dr Cravioto said the information shared during the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts meeting “clearly indicates that they have levels of efficacy that would be compatible with the requirements that WHO has asked for this vaccine”.
“That means about 50 per cent [efficacy] and preferably close to, or above 70 per cent and of course, they have all the safety data to show that this vaccine would cause no harm in humans when used,” he said.
The vaccines have not yet received WHO approval.
WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said last month that Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines could receive WHO emergency listing "quite soon".
A decision is expected by the end of April.
The Sinopharm vaccine factory in China
Dr Cravioto said the vaccines would first require emergency use listing from the WHO, or from a body considered by the organisation as a “stringent regulatory authority”, before Sage experts can make recommendations about their use.
“The 50 per cent efficacy threshold set for Covid-19 vaccines is because Covid-19 was deemed such a severe disease, that if a vaccine is only 50 per cent effective, it’s still worth using,” said Dr Lee Hampton, a paediatrician and medical epidemiologist with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in an online explainer by WHO about Covid-19 vaccine efficacy.
A study in Brazil showed Sinovac's vaccine to be 50.4 per cent effective.
Sinopharm, the most widely available vaccine in the UAE, was found to be 86 per cent effective in preventing infections in local trials.
The manufacturer later revised this to 79 per cent, after studies in several countries.
Emirati officials, however, said Sinopharm had proved to be 100 per cent effective against the development of serious disease – an important metric.
Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chairwoman of the National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee, told a conference on the Covid-19 response in the UAE that there were no critical care admissions or deaths among those who had been vaccinated in Abu Dhabi.
People who were infected after taking both doses of the vaccine were mostly asymptomatic or presented only mild symptoms, she said.
Efficacy of other vaccines
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, one of two in use against Covid-19 using new mRNA technology, surprised many scientists by offering 95 per cent protection against the virus.
But it does not prevent severe disease completely.
In the Phase 3 Pfizer trial, there were 10 severe cases of Covid-19, one of which occurred in the vaccine group.
The vaccine has, however, been extremely effective in the real world, with at least 97 per cent protection against symptomatic Covid-19 cases, admission to hospital, severe and critical cases and deaths in Israel.
Other vaccines found to protect against severe Covid-19 complications include AstraZeneca and Moderna, which both offered 100 per cent protection against severe disease in trials.
Sinopharm has not yet released detailed Phase 3 data on the vaccine’s efficacy in a peer-reviewed journal, like other manufacturers such as Pfizer or Sputnik.
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
EXPATS
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Poacher
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Honeymoonish
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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