Researchers say the Zhifei COVID-19 vaccine protects against the Delta variant

BEIJING (ANTARA) – A COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Chinese subsidiary of Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products retained most of its neutralizing effect against the Delta variant but had a slight reduction, researchers who tested the vaccine in the laboratory said.

Chinese scientists and regulators are looking into whether the Delta variant, which is much more contagious than the original coronavirus, is causing the currently available COVID-19 vaccines and treatments to be insufficient to fight the variant.

Through testing on particles that mimic the true Delta variant, serum samples from people given three doses of the Zhifei vaccine showed a 1.2-fold reduction in neutralizing effect, compared with particles mimicking the original variant, the researchers said in a report. a report without peer review (peer review), Friday (16/7).

However, the researchers caution that data from clinical trials or actual use is still needed to determine how well the vaccine will prevent recipients from falling ill after contracting the variant.

Efficacy results from Phase III clinical trials of the vaccine have not been published.

The study, which tested a sample of 28 people, also found that a sample of those who received a third dose with a longer time span than the second injection showed greater activity against a number of variants.

More than 100 million doses of Zhifei’s vaccine, which is named ZF2001 and has been approved for emergency use in China and Uzbekistan, has been administered, the report said.

The research report was written by scientists from the Institute of Microbiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which collaborates with the Zhifei subsidiary on vaccine development, and from several other Chinese institutions.

Source: Reuters

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