BEIJING: Clinical trials for a Chinese vaccine against the coronavirus' Omicron variants are expected to conclude in three to four months and would be gradually put to use, according to the vaccine developer. During an online press conference on Wednesday, Zhang Yuntao, chief scientist and vice president of the Sinopharm-affiliated China National Biotec Group (CNBG) told reporters that pre-clinical research showed that the firm's vaccine had good neutralizing activity against the variants. Animal experiments have also shown that the vaccine offers some protection against Omicron infections, he said, adding that the vaccine's protective effect needed to be observed further in clinical trials. During these trials, a randomized, double-blind and cohort study method would be adopted among 18-year-olds and older who have received two or three doses of Covid-19 vaccines to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the new vaccine.
