An official the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Guizhen Wu, has said the coronavirus vaccines being developed in China may be ready for use by the general public as early as November, 2020.
According to france24.com, China has four COVID-19 vaccines in the final stage of clinical trials and at least three of those drugs have already been offered to essential workers under an emergency use programme inaugurated in July.
Wu, in an interview with state TV on Monday, said the phase three clinical trials were proceeding smoothly and the vaccines could be ready for the general public in November or December.
Wu, who said she has experienced no abnormal symptoms in recent months after taking an experimental vaccine herself in April, did not specify which vaccines she was referring to.
A unit of state pharmaceutical giant, China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and U.S.-listed Sinovac Biotech are developing the three vaccines under the state’s emergency use programme. A fourth Covid-19 vaccine being developed by CanSino Biologics was approved for use by the Chinese military in June.
Sinopharm said in July that its vaccine could be ready for public use by the end of 2020 after the conclusion of phase three trials.
The global vaccine makers are racing to develop an effective vaccine against the virus which has killed more than 925,000 people.