China approves its first mRNA vaccine for Covid-19 | World news
AFP | | Posted by Shobhit Gupta
China has approved the country’s first messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine developed against Covid-19, its manufacturer said on Wednesday, months after the relaxation of strict Covid-19 regulations has spread in cases .
The vaccine, developed by CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd, has been approved for “emergency use” by Beijing’s health regulator, the company said in a statement.
It showed high efficacy in a trial in which it was used as a booster shot for people who had been given other types of vaccines, the company added, without giving further details.
mRNA vaccines are considered among the most effective in reducing severe infections and deaths.
While traditional vaccines use a weakened or inactive germ to prepare the body for a future attack from the real virus, mRNA carries snippets of genetic material that carry instructions that tell the body’s cells how to make a protein. – in this case, the spike protein on the coronavirus that causes Covid.
The body’s immune system then triggers antibodies to fight that spiked protein, making it ready for when the real coronavirus comes knocking.
Beijing has refused to greenlight mRNA-based vaccines from foreign companies Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for public use.
Its lack of immunity is widely believed to have led to more severe infections and deaths after lockdowns and mandatory quarantine laws were suddenly lifted in December.
Other Chinese drug makers including CanSino have already said they are developing mRNA-based vaccines to help the country close its vaccine gap.
