🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 16 (from laksa109)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa016.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55212787\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55212787\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-china-55212787","crawl_time":1774282910,"first_indexed_time":1607477858,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,bbc!www,\/news\/world-asia-china-55212787 s443","src_root_hash":"1643509356818581016","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Covid: What do we know about China's coronavirus vaccines?","meta_descriptions":["Sinovac and Sinopharm's jabs are yet to finish final trials, but are already being shipped overseas."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"14 January 2021\nGetty Images\nSinovac is a Beijing-based pharmaceutical company\nAs the global race to produce a Covid-19 vaccine continues, China appears to have made huge strides, with vaccines from two front-runners - Sinovac and Sinopharm - already making their way abroad.\nBut what do we know about China's vaccines and how do they compare to those being developed elsewhere?\nHow does the Sinovac vaccine work?\nThe Beijing-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac is behind the CoronaVac, an inactivated vaccine.\nIt works by using killed viral particles to expose the body's immune system to the virus without risking a serious disease response.\nBy comparison the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines being developed in the West are mRNA vaccines. This means part of the coronavirus' genetic code is injected into the body, triggering the body to begin making viral proteins, but not the whole virus, which is enough to train the immune system to attack.\n\"CoronaVac is a more traditional method [of vaccine] that is successfully used in many well known vaccines like rabies,\" Associate Prof Luo Dahai of the Nanyang Technological University told the BBC.\n\"mRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine and there is [currently] no successful example [of them] being used in the population,\" Prof Luo adds.\nHow will the new Pfizer vaccine work?\nOn paper, one of Sinovac's main advantages is that it can be stored in a standard refrigerator at 2-8 degrees Celsius, like the Oxford vaccine, which is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees.\nModerna's vaccine needs to be stored at -20C and Pfizer's vaccine at -70C.\nIt means that both Sinovac and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are a lot more useful to developing countries which might not be able to store large amounts of vaccine at such low temperatures.\nHow effective is it?\nIt's hard to say at this point in time.\nZhu Fengcai, one of the paper's authors, said those results - based on 144 participants in the phase one trial and 600 in the phase two trial - meant the vaccine was \"suitable for emergency use\".\nCoronaVac has been undergoing phase three trials in various countries. Interim data from late-stage trials in Turkey and Indonesia showed that the vaccine was 91.25% and 65.3% effective respectively.\nSinovac has been approved for emergency use in high-risk groups in China since July.\nIn September, Mr Yin of Sinovac said tests were performed on more than 1,000 volunteers, of which \"some only showed minor fatigue or discomfort… no more than 5%\".\nGetty Images\nSao Paolo officials were photographed with the CoronaVac vaccine earlier this month\nProf Luo had said ahead of the phase three results that it was difficult to make comments about the vaccine's efficacy at that point in time \"given the limited information available\".\n\"Based on the preliminary data... CoronaVac is likely an effective vaccine, but we do need to wait for the results of the phase three trials,\" he said.\n\"These trials are randomised, observer-blind, placebo-controlled... with thousands of participants. This is the only way to prove a vaccine is safe and effective to be used at the population level.\"\nWhat about the Sinopharm vaccine?\nSinopharm, a Chinese state-owned company, is developing two Covid-19 vaccines, which, like Sinovac are also inactivated vaccines that work in a similar way.\nChinese vaccine 'successful in mid-stage trials'\nVaccine leader China already inoculating workers\nSinopharm announced on 30 December that phase three trials of the vaccine showed that it was 79% effective - lower than that of Pfizer and Moderna.\nHowever, the United Arab Emirates, which approved a Sinopharm vaccine earlier this month, said the vaccine was 86% effective, according to interim results of its phase three trial.\nGetty Images\nBoth the UAE and Bahrain have granted emergency use of the vaccine on frontline workers\nA company spokeswoman declined to explain the discrepancy, and said detailed results would be released later, said a Reuters report.\nBut even ahead of the phase three trial results, the vaccine had already been distributed to nearly a million people in China under an emergency programme.\nProfessor Dale Fisher, of the National University of Singapore, said then that it was \"unconventional\" to ramp up a vaccine programme without first going through last stage trials.\n\"It is normal to wait for an analysis of phase three trials before ramping up a vaccine programme through emergency use authorisation,\" he told news site CNBC.\nEarlier in December, Peru suspended trials for the Sinopharm vaccine due to a \"serious adverse event\" affecting a volunteer. It later said that it lifted the suspension.\nA pause in a clinical trial is not unusual. In September, the UK paused trials for another Covid-19 vaccine after a participant had a suspected adverse reaction, resuming after the vaccine was ruled out as the cause.\nThe spread of the coronavirus within China has for the most part been contained - and life is slowly but surely returning to a \"new normal\".\nAny other vaccine candidates?\nOne of them is CanSino Biologics, which is reportedly in phase three clinical trials in countries including Saudi Arabia.\nThe other is being developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom. Its vaccine uses a purified piece of the virus to trigger an immune response, and has recently entered phase three trials, according to the report.\nWhich countries are signing up for China's vaccines?\nSeveral Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines have signed deals with Sinovac, and in January 2021 Indonesia began rolling out its mass vaccination campaign with their vaccine.\nTurkey has also approved the Sinovac vaccine for emergency use. The company is also known to have secured other deals with Brazil and Chile.\nThe United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have approved the Sinopharm vaccine.\nHow would rollout work for China's vaccines?\nSinovac will be able to produce 300 million doses a year in its newly built 20,000 sq m production plant, its chairman told state media outlet CGTN.\nLike all the other vaccines, it requires two doses, which means it is currently only able to inoculate 150m people a year - just over a tenth of China's population.\nAnalysts point to China's bid to win the vaccine diplomacy race, which has also reportedly seen China's President Xi Jinping pledge to set aside $2bn for the African continent, while also offering Latin American and Caribbean countries a $1bn loan to buy vaccines. It's unclear what the terms of such a deal might be.\n\"Beijing... will surely leverage the provision of this life-saving technology for commercial and diplomatic profit,\" Jacob Mardell, an analyst from MERICS, told ABC news.\n\"[It] possesses something countries dearly need and will seek to paint the vaccine's provision as an act of charity.\"\nHow do I know the Covid vaccine is safe?\nWhen will you be eligible for the Covid vaccine?\nIt's not clear how much it might cost, but earlier this year, a BBC team in the Chinese city of Yiwu saw that nurses were administering the injections for a fee of around 400 yuan ($60; £45).\nHundreds of people queued in Yiwu, China to get an experimental Covid-19 vaccine\nBio Farma, a state-owned firm in Indonesia said it would cost around 200,000 rupiah ($13.60; £10) locally.\nThat is still far higher than the Oxford vaccine, which costs $4 a dose, but lower than Moderna's at $33 per dose. Moderna has said it aims to ship 500 million doses in 2021 and AstraZeneca has said it will produce 700 million doses by the end of the first quarter of 2021.\nReporting by Yvette Tan.","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to content](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-china-55212787#main-content)\n\n[Register](https:\/\/session.bbc.com\/session?action=register&userOrigin=BBCS_BBC&ptrt=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fworld-asia-china-55212787)\n\n[Sign In](https:\/\/session.bbc.com\/session?userOrigin=BBCS_BBC&ptrt=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fworld-asia-china-55212787)\n\n- [Home](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/)\n- [News](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news)\n- [Sport](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport)\n- [Business](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/business)\n- [Technology](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/technology)\n- [Health](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/health)\n- [Culture](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/culture)\n- [Arts](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/arts)\n- [Travel](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/travel)\n- [Earth](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future-planet)\n- [Audio](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/audio)\n- [Video](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/video)\n- [Live](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/live)\n\n- [Home](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/home)\n- [News](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news)\n  - [US & Canada](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/us-canada)\n  - [UK](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/uk)\n    - [UK Politics](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/politics)\n    - [England](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/england)\n    - [N. 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[Adventures](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/travel\/adventures)\n  - [The SpeciaList](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/travel\/specialist)\n- [Earth](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future-planet)\n  - [Science](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/innovation\/science)\n  - [Natural Wonders](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future-planet\/natural-wonders)\n  - [Climate Solutions](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future-planet\/solutions)\n  - [Sustainable Business](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future-planet\/sustainable-business)\n  - [Green Living](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future-planet\/green-living)\n- [Audio](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/audio)\n  - [Podcast Categories](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/audio\/categories)\n  - [Radio](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/audio\/stations)\n  - [Audio FAQs](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/undefined)\n- [Video](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/video)\n  - [BBC Maestro](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/video\/bbc-maestro)\n  - [Discover the World](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/video\/discover-the-world)\n- [Live](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/live)\n  - [Live News](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/live\/news)\n  - [Live Sport](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/live\/sport)\n\n[Home](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/)\n\nNews\n\n[Sport](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport)\n\nBusiness\n\nTechnology\n\n[Health](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/health)\n\nCulture\n\nArts\n\nTravel\n\nEarth\n\nAudio\n\nVideo\n\nLive\n\n[Weather](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/weather)\n\n[Newsletters](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/newsletters)\n\n# Covid: What do we know about China's coronavirus vaccines?\n14 January 2021\n\nShare\n\nSave\n\nShare\n\nSave\n\n![Getty Images Various medical syringes seen with Sinovac Biotech company logo displayed on a screen in the background.](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/69A6\/production\/_115864072_gettyimages-1229946482.jpg.webp)Getty Images\n\nSinovac is a Beijing-based pharmaceutical company\n\n**As the global race to produce a Covid-19 vaccine continues, China appears to have made huge strides, with vaccines from two front-runners - Sinovac and Sinopharm - already making their way abroad.**\n\nBut what do we know about China's vaccines and how do they compare to those being developed elsewhere?\n\n## How does the Sinovac vaccine work?\nThe Beijing-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac is behind the CoronaVac, an inactivated vaccine.\n\nIt works by using killed viral particles to expose the body's immune system to the virus without risking a serious disease response.\n\nBy comparison the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines being developed in the West are mRNA vaccines. This means part of the coronavirus' genetic code is injected into the body, triggering the body to begin making viral proteins, but not the whole virus, which is enough to train the immune system to attack.\n\n\"CoronaVac is a more traditional method \\[of vaccine\\] that is successfully used in many well known vaccines like rabies,\" Associate Prof Luo Dahai of the Nanyang Technological University told the BBC.\n\n\"mRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine and there is \\[currently\\] no successful example \\[of them\\] being used in the population,\" Prof Luo adds.\n\nHow will the new Pfizer vaccine work?\n\nOn paper, one of Sinovac's main advantages is that it can be stored in a standard refrigerator at 2-8 degrees Celsius, like the Oxford vaccine, which is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees.\n\nModerna's vaccine needs to be stored at -20C and Pfizer's vaccine at -70C.\n\nIt means that both Sinovac and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are a lot more useful to developing countries which might not be able to store large amounts of vaccine at such low temperatures.\n\n![Graphic](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/11C84\/production\/_115863827_untitled.png.webp)\n\n## How effective is it?\nIt's hard to say at this point in time.\n\n[One Chinese study published in scientific journal The Lancet](https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/laninf\/article\/PIIS1473-3099\$20\$30843-4\/fulltext), only has information from the first and second phase trials of CoronaVac in China.\n\nZhu Fengcai, one of the paper's authors, said those results - based on 144 participants in the phase one trial and 600 in the phase two trial - meant the vaccine was \"suitable for emergency use\".\n\nCoronaVac has been undergoing phase three trials in various countries. Interim data from late-stage trials in Turkey and Indonesia showed that the vaccine was 91.25% and 65.3% effective respectively.\n\nResearchers in Brazil initially said it was 78% effective in their clinical trials, but in January 2021 [revised that figure to 50.4% after including more data in their calculations.](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-latin-america-55642648) Earlier in November, their trials were briefly halted after the reported death of a volunteer, but resumed after the death was found to have no links to the vaccine.\n\nSinovac has been approved for emergency use in high-risk groups in China since July.\n\nIn September, Mr Yin of Sinovac said tests were performed on more than 1,000 volunteers, of which \"some only showed minor fatigue or discomfort… no more than 5%\".\n\n![Getty Images Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria (C), Sao Paulo state Health Secretary Dr. Jean Gorinchteyn (L), and Butantan Institute Director Dimas Covas (R), pose for photos next to a container carrying doses of the CoronaVac vaccine at Guarulhos International Airport in Guarulhos, near Sao Paulo, Brazil, on December 03, 2020.](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/1501E\/production\/_115864068_gettyimages-1229924071.jpg.webp)Getty Images\n\nSao Paolo officials were photographed with the CoronaVac vaccine earlier this month\n\nProf Luo had said ahead of the phase three results that it was difficult to make comments about the vaccine's efficacy at that point in time \"given the limited information available\".\n\n\"Based on the preliminary data... CoronaVac is likely an effective vaccine, but we do need to wait for the results of the phase three trials,\" he said.\n\n\"These trials are randomised, observer-blind, placebo-controlled... with thousands of participants. This is the only way to prove a vaccine is safe and effective to be used at the population level.\"\n\n## What about the Sinopharm vaccine?\nSinopharm, a Chinese state-owned company, is developing two Covid-19 vaccines, which, like Sinovac are also inactivated vaccines that work in a similar way.\n\n- [Chinese vaccine 'successful in mid-stage trials'](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-asia-china-54982910)\n- [Vaccine leader China already inoculating workers](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-asia-china-53917315)\n\nSinopharm announced on 30 December that phase three trials of the vaccine showed that it was 79% effective - lower than that of Pfizer and Moderna.\n\nHowever, the United Arab Emirates, which approved a Sinopharm vaccine earlier this month, said the vaccine was 86% effective, according to interim results of its phase three trial.\n\n![Getty Images A woman is vaccinated with a syringe of a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, developed by medicine company Sinopharm](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/11F11\/production\/_116298437_gettyimages-1230209584.jpg.webp)Getty Images\n\nBoth the UAE and Bahrain have granted emergency use of the vaccine on frontline workers\n\nA company spokeswoman declined to explain the discrepancy, and said detailed results would be released later, said a Reuters report.\n\nBut even ahead of the phase three trial results, the vaccine had already been distributed to nearly a million people in China under an emergency programme.\n\nProfessor Dale Fisher, of the National University of Singapore, said then that it was \"unconventional\" to ramp up a vaccine programme without first going through last stage trials.\n\n\"It is normal to wait for an analysis of phase three trials before ramping up a vaccine programme through emergency use authorisation,\" he told news site CNBC.\n\nEarlier in December, Peru suspended trials for the Sinopharm vaccine due to a \"serious adverse event\" affecting a volunteer. It later said that it lifted the suspension.\n\nA pause in a clinical trial is not unusual. In September, the UK paused trials for another Covid-19 vaccine after a participant had a suspected adverse reaction, resuming after the vaccine was ruled out as the cause.\n\nThe spread of the coronavirus within China has for the most part been contained - and life is slowly but surely returning to a \"new normal\".\n\n## Any other vaccine candidates?\nAt least two other Covid-19 vaccines are under development in China, [according to a recent article in The Conversation](https:\/\/theconversation.com\/chinas-covid-vaccines-are-already-being-distributed-but-how-do-they-work-and-where-are-they-up-to-in-trials-151589).\n\nOne of them is CanSino Biologics, which is reportedly in phase three clinical trials in countries including Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe other is being developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom. Its vaccine uses a purified piece of the virus to trigger an immune response, and has recently entered phase three trials, according to the report.\n\n## Which countries are signing up for China's vaccines?\nSeveral Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines have signed deals with Sinovac, and in January 2021 Indonesia began rolling out its mass vaccination campaign with their vaccine.\n\nTurkey has also approved the Sinovac vaccine for emergency use. The company is also known to have secured other deals with Brazil and Chile.\n\nThe United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have approved the Sinopharm vaccine.\n\n## How would rollout work for China's vaccines?\nSinovac will be able to produce 300 million doses a year in its newly built 20,000 sq m production plant, its chairman told state media outlet CGTN.\n\nLike all the other vaccines, it requires two doses, which means it is currently only able to inoculate 150m people a year - just over a tenth of China's population.\n\nAnalysts point to China's bid to win the vaccine diplomacy race, which has also reportedly seen China's President Xi Jinping pledge to set aside \\$2bn for the African continent, while also offering Latin American and Caribbean countries a \\$1bn loan to buy vaccines. It's unclear what the terms of such a deal might be.\n\n\"Beijing... will surely leverage the provision of this life-saving technology for commercial and diplomatic profit,\" Jacob Mardell, an analyst from MERICS, told ABC news.\n\n\"\\[It\\] possesses something countries dearly need and will seek to paint the vaccine's provision as an act of charity.\"\n\n- [How do I know the Covid vaccine is safe?](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/health-55056016)\n- [When will you be eligible for the Covid vaccine?](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/health-55045639)\n\nIt's not clear how much it might cost, but earlier this year, a BBC team in the Chinese city of Yiwu saw that nurses were administering the injections for a fee of around 400 yuan (\\$60; £45).\n\nHundreds of people queued in Yiwu, China to get an experimental Covid-19 vaccine\n\nBio Farma, a state-owned firm in Indonesia said it would cost around 200,000 rupiah (\\$13.60; £10) locally.\n\nThat is still far higher than the Oxford vaccine, which costs \\$4 a dose, but lower than Moderna's at \\$33 per dose. Moderna has said it aims to ship 500 million doses in 2021 and AstraZeneca has said it will produce 700 million doses by the end of the first quarter of 2021.\n\n*Reporting by Yvette Tan.*\n\n[Chinese vaccine 'successful in mid-stage trials'](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-china-54982910)\n\n[Oxford vaccine: How did they make it so quickly?](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/health-55041371)\n\n[Covid vaccine safety - What we know](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/health-55056016)\n\n[Who can get an NHS Covid booster this spring?](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/health-55045639)\n\n[Coronavirus vaccines](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/topics\/c87z0we2g0zt)\n\n[China](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world\/asia\/china)\n\n[Coronavirus testing](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/topics\/ck2l9qxx17nt)\n\n[Coronavirus](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/coronavirus)\n\n***\nRelated\n\n[Four charged with sale of fake Covid-19 passports](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/ceqv02y7ywdo)\n\n[Islanders to pay for Covid and flu jabs from April](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cx28yv2kky0o)\n\n[Firm assessing Covid vaccine harm replaced after costs spiral to £48m](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c5yrvyv4zlzo)\n\n***\nMore from the BBC\n\n[8 hrs ago ![A woman holding a cigarette and looking at her phone in Hong Kong, China, on June 6, 2024](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/7b2d\/live\/45166ad0-268c-11f1-82d0-fd391f4a7261.jpg.webp) HK police can now demand phone passwords under new national security rules Those who do not comply can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to HK\\$100,000 (\\$12,700; £9,600). 8 hrs ago](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/ce8j9yj52lro)\n\n[10 hrs ago ![Three nurses in blue uniforms and wearing face masks pointing at a computer monitor](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/25b9\/live\/9f9dedc0-2371-11f1-934f-036468834728.png.webp) Has Scotland's NHS recovered from the Covid pandemic? The sixth anniversary of Scotland going into lockdown also marks the final phase of a £1.2bn plan to help the NHS bounce back from Covid - did it work? 10 hrs ago](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c86y81z2d61o)\n\n[10 hrs ago ![A woman in her 40s is sitting on a sofa in her living room holding a walking stick. She has long orange hair. Behind her is cushions and lighting.](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/17b7\/live\/997b4c20-22dc-11f1-a79a-77e93010d956.jpg.webp) 'It's like I'm still living in a Covid lockdown' Gabby Rudge-Cox, 42, says long Covid has \"robbed her of a future\". 10 hrs ago](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c4g4gvlnqrno)\n\n[1 day ago ![The Nurse's Hands sculpture viewed from above. It is a pair of cupped hands formed out of a blue material. There is a silver-coloured plate below it with the inscription: The Nurse's Hands 2024 Recycled PPE By Kurt Jackson Dedicated to those who care and those we lost](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/3e6f\/live\/06b6de10-2474-11f1-b297-95b0a0a8331e.png.webp) PPE sculpture honours Covid staff and patients Kurt Jackson's The Nurse's Hands piece honours \"those who care and those we lost\". 1 day ago](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c0rxwwwxqvvo)\n\n[3 days ago ![Photo of two people walking in Cardiff next to a social distancing sign. A police car can be seen behind them.](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/efad\/live\/3dc1bc80-2470-11f1-934f-036468834728.jpg.webp) Plaid promises short, sharp 'review' into Covid instead of public inquiry Plaid Cymru's health spokesman sought to clarify his party's position after it backtracked on a pledge to hold a public inquiry. 3 days ago](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cn08lp150x5o)\n***\n- [Home](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/)\n- [News](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news)\n- [Sport](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport)\n- [Business](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/business)\n- [Technology](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/technology)\n- [Health](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/health)\n- [Culture](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/culture)\n- [Arts](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/arts)\n- [Travel](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/travel)\n- [Earth](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future-planet)\n- [Audio](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/audio)\n- [Video](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/video)\n- [Live](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/live)\n- [Weather](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/weather)\n- [BBC Shop](https:\/\/shop.bbc.com\/)\n- [BritBox](https:\/\/www.britbox.com\/?utm_source=bbc.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=footer)\n\nBBC in other languages\n\n### The BBC is in multiple languages\n#### Read the BBC In your own language\n[Oduu Afaan Oromootiin](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/afaanoromoo)\n\n[Amharic ዜና በአማርኛ](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/amharic)\n\n[Arabic عربي](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/arabic)\n\n[Azeri AZƏRBAYCAN](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/azeri)\n\n[Bangla বাংলা](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bengali)\n\n[Burmese မြန်မာ](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/burmese)\n\n[Chinese 中文网](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/zhongwen\/simp)\n\n[Dari دری](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/dari)\n\n[French AFRIQUE](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/afrique)\n\n[Hausa HAUSA](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/hausa)\n\n[Hindi हिन्दी](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/hindi)\n\n[Gaelic NAIDHEACHDAN](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/naidheachdan)\n\n[Gujarati ગુજરાતીમાં સમાચાર](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/gujarati)\n\n[Igbo AKỤKỌ N’IGBO](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/igbo)\n\n[Indonesian INDONESIA](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/indonesia)\n\n[Japanese 日本語](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/japanese)\n\n[Kinyarwanda GAHUZA](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/gahuza)\n\n[Kirundi KIRUNDI](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/gahuza)\n\n[Korean 한국어](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/korean)\n\n[Kyrgyz Кыргыз](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/kyrgyz)\n\n[Marathi मराठी](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/marathi)\n\n[Nepali नेपाली](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/nepali)\n\n[Noticias para hispanoparlantes](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/mundo)\n\n[Pashto پښتو](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/pashto)\n\n[Persian فارسی](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/persian)\n\n[Pidgin](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/pidgin)\n\n[Polish PO POLSKU](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/polska)\n\n[Portuguese BRASIL](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/portuguese)\n\n[Punjabi ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਖ਼ਬਰਾਂ](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/punjabi)\n\n[Russian НА РУССКОМ](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/russian)\n\n[Serbian NA SRPSKOM](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/serbian\/lat)\n\n[Sinhala සිංහල](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sinhala)\n\n[Somali SOMALI](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/somali)\n\n[Swahili HABARI KWA KISWAHILI](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/swahili)\n\n[Tamil தமிழில் செய்திகள்](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/tamil)\n\n[Telugu తెలుగు వార్తలు](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/telugu)\n\n[Thai ข่าวภาษาไทย](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/thai)\n\n[Tigrinya ዜና ብትግርኛ](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/tigrinya)\n\n[Turkish TÜRKÇE](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/turkce)\n\n[Ukrainian УКРАЇНСЬКA](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/ukrainian)\n\n[Urdu اردو](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/urdu)\n\n[Uzbek O'ZBEK](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/uzbek)\n\n[Vietnamese TIẾNG VIỆT](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/vietnamese)\n\n[Welsh NEWYDDION](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/cymrufyw)\n\n[Yoruba ÌRÒYÌN NÍ YORÙBÁ](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/yoruba)\n\nFollow BBC on:\n\n- [Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/pages\/terms-of-use)\n- [Subscription Terms](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/pages\/subscription-terms)\n- [About the BBC](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/aboutthebbc)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/pages\/privacy-policy)\n- [Cookies](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/usingthebbc\/cookies\/)\n- [Accessibility Help](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/accessibility\/)\n- [Contact the BBC](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/contact)\n- [Advertise with us](https:\/\/advertising.bbcstudios.com\/)\n- [Do not share or sell my info](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/usingthebbc\/cookies\/how-can-i-change-my-bbc-cookie-settings\/)\n- [BBC.com Help & FAQs](https:\/\/help.bbc.com\/hc\/)\n- [Content Index](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/pages\/content-index)\n- [Set Preferred Source](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future\/article\/20260128-how-to-make-google-put-trusted-sources-up-top-when-you-search)\n\nCopyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [**Read about our approach to external linking.**](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/editorialguidelines\/guidance\/feeds-and-links)","attrs_readable_markdown":"14 January 2021\n\n![Getty Images Various medical syringes seen with Sinovac Biotech company logo displayed on a screen in the background.](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/69A6\/production\/_115864072_gettyimages-1229946482.jpg.webp)Getty Images\n\nSinovac is a Beijing-based pharmaceutical company\n\n**As the global race to produce a Covid-19 vaccine continues, China appears to have made huge strides, with vaccines from two front-runners - Sinovac and Sinopharm - already making their way abroad.**\n\nBut what do we know about China's vaccines and how do they compare to those being developed elsewhere?\n\nHow does the Sinovac vaccine work?\n\nThe Beijing-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac is behind the CoronaVac, an inactivated vaccine.\n\nIt works by using killed viral particles to expose the body's immune system to the virus without risking a serious disease response.\n\nBy comparison the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines being developed in the West are mRNA vaccines. This means part of the coronavirus' genetic code is injected into the body, triggering the body to begin making viral proteins, but not the whole virus, which is enough to train the immune system to attack.\n\n\"CoronaVac is a more traditional method \\[of vaccine\\] that is successfully used in many well known vaccines like rabies,\" Associate Prof Luo Dahai of the Nanyang Technological University told the BBC.\n\n\"mRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine and there is \\[currently\\] no successful example \\[of them\\] being used in the population,\" Prof Luo adds.\n\nHow will the new Pfizer vaccine work?\n\nOn paper, one of Sinovac's main advantages is that it can be stored in a standard refrigerator at 2-8 degrees Celsius, like the Oxford vaccine, which is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees.\n\nModerna's vaccine needs to be stored at -20C and Pfizer's vaccine at -70C.\n\nIt means that both Sinovac and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are a lot more useful to developing countries which might not be able to store large amounts of vaccine at such low temperatures.\n\n![Graphic](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/11C84\/production\/_115863827_untitled.png.webp)\n\nHow effective is it?\n\nIt's hard to say at this point in time.\n\nZhu Fengcai, one of the paper's authors, said those results - based on 144 participants in the phase one trial and 600 in the phase two trial - meant the vaccine was \"suitable for emergency use\".\n\nCoronaVac has been undergoing phase three trials in various countries. Interim data from late-stage trials in Turkey and Indonesia showed that the vaccine was 91.25% and 65.3% effective respectively.\n\nSinovac has been approved for emergency use in high-risk groups in China since July.\n\nIn September, Mr Yin of Sinovac said tests were performed on more than 1,000 volunteers, of which \"some only showed minor fatigue or discomfort… no more than 5%\".\n\n![Getty Images Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria (C), Sao Paulo state Health Secretary Dr. Jean Gorinchteyn (L), and Butantan Institute Director Dimas Covas (R), pose for photos next to a container carrying doses of the CoronaVac vaccine at Guarulhos International Airport in Guarulhos, near Sao Paulo, Brazil, on December 03, 2020.](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/1501E\/production\/_115864068_gettyimages-1229924071.jpg.webp)Getty Images\n\nSao Paolo officials were photographed with the CoronaVac vaccine earlier this month\n\nProf Luo had said ahead of the phase three results that it was difficult to make comments about the vaccine's efficacy at that point in time \"given the limited information available\".\n\n\"Based on the preliminary data... CoronaVac is likely an effective vaccine, but we do need to wait for the results of the phase three trials,\" he said.\n\n\"These trials are randomised, observer-blind, placebo-controlled... with thousands of participants. This is the only way to prove a vaccine is safe and effective to be used at the population level.\"\n\nWhat about the Sinopharm vaccine?\n\nSinopharm, a Chinese state-owned company, is developing two Covid-19 vaccines, which, like Sinovac are also inactivated vaccines that work in a similar way.\n\n- [Chinese vaccine 'successful in mid-stage trials'](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-asia-china-54982910)\n- [Vaccine leader China already inoculating workers](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-asia-china-53917315)\n\nSinopharm announced on 30 December that phase three trials of the vaccine showed that it was 79% effective - lower than that of Pfizer and Moderna.\n\nHowever, the United Arab Emirates, which approved a Sinopharm vaccine earlier this month, said the vaccine was 86% effective, according to interim results of its phase three trial.\n\n![Getty Images A woman is vaccinated with a syringe of a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, developed by medicine company Sinopharm](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/11F11\/production\/_116298437_gettyimages-1230209584.jpg.webp)Getty Images\n\nBoth the UAE and Bahrain have granted emergency use of the vaccine on frontline workers\n\nA company spokeswoman declined to explain the discrepancy, and said detailed results would be released later, said a Reuters report.\n\nBut even ahead of the phase three trial results, the vaccine had already been distributed to nearly a million people in China under an emergency programme.\n\nProfessor Dale Fisher, of the National University of Singapore, said then that it was \"unconventional\" to ramp up a vaccine programme without first going through last stage trials.\n\n\"It is normal to wait for an analysis of phase three trials before ramping up a vaccine programme through emergency use authorisation,\" he told news site CNBC.\n\nEarlier in December, Peru suspended trials for the Sinopharm vaccine due to a \"serious adverse event\" affecting a volunteer. It later said that it lifted the suspension.\n\nA pause in a clinical trial is not unusual. In September, the UK paused trials for another Covid-19 vaccine after a participant had a suspected adverse reaction, resuming after the vaccine was ruled out as the cause.\n\nThe spread of the coronavirus within China has for the most part been contained - and life is slowly but surely returning to a \"new normal\".\n\nAny other vaccine candidates?\n\nOne of them is CanSino Biologics, which is reportedly in phase three clinical trials in countries including Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe other is being developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom. Its vaccine uses a purified piece of the virus to trigger an immune response, and has recently entered phase three trials, according to the report.\n\nWhich countries are signing up for China's vaccines?\n\nSeveral Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines have signed deals with Sinovac, and in January 2021 Indonesia began rolling out its mass vaccination campaign with their vaccine.\n\nTurkey has also approved the Sinovac vaccine for emergency use. The company is also known to have secured other deals with Brazil and Chile.\n\nThe United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have approved the Sinopharm vaccine.\n\nHow would rollout work for China's vaccines?\n\nSinovac will be able to produce 300 million doses a year in its newly built 20,000 sq m production plant, its chairman told state media outlet CGTN.\n\nLike all the other vaccines, it requires two doses, which means it is currently only able to inoculate 150m people a year - just over a tenth of China's population.\n\nAnalysts point to China's bid to win the vaccine diplomacy race, which has also reportedly seen China's President Xi Jinping pledge to set aside \\$2bn for the African continent, while also offering Latin American and Caribbean countries a \\$1bn loan to buy vaccines. It's unclear what the terms of such a deal might be.\n\n\"Beijing... will surely leverage the provision of this life-saving technology for commercial and diplomatic profit,\" Jacob Mardell, an analyst from MERICS, told ABC news.\n\n\"\\[It\\] possesses something countries dearly need and will seek to paint the vaccine's provision as an act of charity.\"\n\n- [How do I know the Covid vaccine is safe?](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/health-55056016)\n- [When will you be eligible for the Covid vaccine?](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/health-55045639)\n\nIt's not clear how much it might cost, but earlier this year, a BBC team in the Chinese city of Yiwu saw that nurses were administering the injections for a fee of around 400 yuan (\\$60; £45).\n\nHundreds of people queued in Yiwu, China to get an experimental Covid-19 vaccine\n\nBio Farma, a state-owned firm in Indonesia said it would cost around 200,000 rupiah (\\$13.60; £10) locally.\n\nThat is still far higher than the Oxford vaccine, which costs \\$4 a dose, but lower than Moderna's at \\$33 per dose. Moderna has said it aims to ship 500 million doses in 2021 and AstraZeneca has said it will produce 700 million doses by the end of the first quarter of 2021.\n\n*Reporting by Yvette Tan.*","meta_canonical":null}

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Meta Title	Covid: What do we know about China's coronavirus vaccines?
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Boilerpipe Text	14 January 2021 Getty Images Sinovac is a Beijing-based pharmaceutical company As the global race to produce a Covid-19 vaccine continues, China appears to have made huge strides, with vaccines from two front-runners - Sinovac and Sinopharm - already making their way abroad. But what do we know about China's vaccines and how do they compare to those being developed elsewhere? How does the Sinovac vaccine work? The Beijing-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac is behind the CoronaVac, an inactivated vaccine. It works by using killed viral particles to expose the body's immune system to the virus without risking a serious disease response. By comparison the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines being developed in the West are mRNA vaccines. This means part of the coronavirus' genetic code is injected into the body, triggering the body to begin making viral proteins, but not the whole virus, which is enough to train the immune system to attack. "CoronaVac is a more traditional method [of vaccine] that is successfully used in many well known vaccines like rabies," Associate Prof Luo Dahai of the Nanyang Technological University told the BBC. "mRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine and there is [currently] no successful example [of them] being used in the population," Prof Luo adds. How will the new Pfizer vaccine work? On paper, one of Sinovac's main advantages is that it can be stored in a standard refrigerator at 2-8 degrees Celsius, like the Oxford vaccine, which is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees. Moderna's vaccine needs to be stored at -20C and Pfizer's vaccine at -70C. It means that both Sinovac and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are a lot more useful to developing countries which might not be able to store large amounts of vaccine at such low temperatures. How effective is it? It's hard to say at this point in time. Zhu Fengcai, one of the paper's authors, said those results - based on 144 participants in the phase one trial and 600 in the phase two trial - meant the vaccine was "suitable for emergency use". CoronaVac has been undergoing phase three trials in various countries. Interim data from late-stage trials in Turkey and Indonesia showed that the vaccine was 91.25% and 65.3% effective respectively. Sinovac has been approved for emergency use in high-risk groups in China since July. In September, Mr Yin of Sinovac said tests were performed on more than 1,000 volunteers, of which "some only showed minor fatigue or discomfort… no more than 5%". Getty Images Sao Paolo officials were photographed with the CoronaVac vaccine earlier this month Prof Luo had said ahead of the phase three results that it was difficult to make comments about the vaccine's efficacy at that point in time "given the limited information available". "Based on the preliminary data... CoronaVac is likely an effective vaccine, but we do need to wait for the results of the phase three trials," he said. "These trials are randomised, observer-blind, placebo-controlled... with thousands of participants. This is the only way to prove a vaccine is safe and effective to be used at the population level." What about the Sinopharm vaccine? Sinopharm, a Chinese state-owned company, is developing two Covid-19 vaccines, which, like Sinovac are also inactivated vaccines that work in a similar way. Chinese vaccine 'successful in mid-stage trials' Vaccine leader China already inoculating workers Sinopharm announced on 30 December that phase three trials of the vaccine showed that it was 79% effective - lower than that of Pfizer and Moderna. However, the United Arab Emirates, which approved a Sinopharm vaccine earlier this month, said the vaccine was 86% effective, according to interim results of its phase three trial. Getty Images Both the UAE and Bahrain have granted emergency use of the vaccine on frontline workers A company spokeswoman declined to explain the discrepancy, and said detailed results would be released later, said a Reuters report. But even ahead of the phase three trial results, the vaccine had already been distributed to nearly a million people in China under an emergency programme. Professor Dale Fisher, of the National University of Singapore, said then that it was "unconventional" to ramp up a vaccine programme without first going through last stage trials. "It is normal to wait for an analysis of phase three trials before ramping up a vaccine programme through emergency use authorisation," he told news site CNBC. Earlier in December, Peru suspended trials for the Sinopharm vaccine due to a "serious adverse event" affecting a volunteer. It later said that it lifted the suspension. A pause in a clinical trial is not unusual. In September, the UK paused trials for another Covid-19 vaccine after a participant had a suspected adverse reaction, resuming after the vaccine was ruled out as the cause. The spread of the coronavirus within China has for the most part been contained - and life is slowly but surely returning to a "new normal". Any other vaccine candidates? One of them is CanSino Biologics, which is reportedly in phase three clinical trials in countries including Saudi Arabia. The other is being developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom. Its vaccine uses a purified piece of the virus to trigger an immune response, and has recently entered phase three trials, according to the report. Which countries are signing up for China's vaccines? Several Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines have signed deals with Sinovac, and in January 2021 Indonesia began rolling out its mass vaccination campaign with their vaccine. Turkey has also approved the Sinovac vaccine for emergency use. The company is also known to have secured other deals with Brazil and Chile. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have approved the Sinopharm vaccine. How would rollout work for China's vaccines? Sinovac will be able to produce 300 million doses a year in its newly built 20,000 sq m production plant, its chairman told state media outlet CGTN. Like all the other vaccines, it requires two doses, which means it is currently only able to inoculate 150m people a year - just over a tenth of China's population. Analysts point to China's bid to win the vaccine diplomacy race, which has also reportedly seen China's President Xi Jinping pledge to set aside $2bn for the African continent, while also offering Latin American and Caribbean countries a $1bn loan to buy vaccines. It's unclear what the terms of such a deal might be. "Beijing... will surely leverage the provision of this life-saving technology for commercial and diplomatic profit," Jacob Mardell, an analyst from MERICS, told ABC news. "[It] possesses something countries dearly need and will seek to paint the vaccine's provision as an act of charity." How do I know the Covid vaccine is safe? When will you be eligible for the Covid vaccine? It's not clear how much it might cost, but earlier this year, a BBC team in the Chinese city of Yiwu saw that nurses were administering the injections for a fee of around 400 yuan ($60; £45). Hundreds of people queued in Yiwu, China to get an experimental Covid-19 vaccine Bio Farma, a state-owned firm in Indonesia said it would cost around 200,000 rupiah ($13.60; £10) locally. That is still far higher than the Oxford vaccine, which costs $4 a dose, but lower than Moderna's at $33 per dose. Moderna has said it aims to ship 500 million doses in 2021 and AstraZeneca has said it will produce 700 million doses by the end of the first quarter of 2021. Reporting by Yvette Tan.
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But what do we know about China's vaccines and how do they compare to those being developed elsewhere? ## How does the Sinovac vaccine work? The Beijing-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac is behind the CoronaVac, an inactivated vaccine. It works by using killed viral particles to expose the body's immune system to the virus without risking a serious disease response. By comparison the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines being developed in the West are mRNA vaccines. This means part of the coronavirus' genetic code is injected into the body, triggering the body to begin making viral proteins, but not the whole virus, which is enough to train the immune system to attack. "CoronaVac is a more traditional method \[of vaccine\] that is successfully used in many well known vaccines like rabies," Associate Prof Luo Dahai of the Nanyang Technological University told the BBC. "mRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine and there is \[currently\] no successful example \[of them\] being used in the population," Prof Luo adds. How will the new Pfizer vaccine work? On paper, one of Sinovac's main advantages is that it can be stored in a standard refrigerator at 2-8 degrees Celsius, like the Oxford vaccine, which is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees. Moderna's vaccine needs to be stored at -20C and Pfizer's vaccine at -70C. It means that both Sinovac and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are a lot more useful to developing countries which might not be able to store large amounts of vaccine at such low temperatures. ![Graphic](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/11C84/production/_115863827_untitled.png.webp) ## How effective is it? It's hard to say at this point in time. [One Chinese study published in scientific journal The Lancet](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099$20$30843-4/fulltext), only has information from the first and second phase trials of CoronaVac in China. Zhu Fengcai, one of the paper's authors, said those results - based on 144 participants in the phase one trial and 600 in the phase two trial - meant the vaccine was "suitable for emergency use". CoronaVac has been undergoing phase three trials in various countries. Interim data from late-stage trials in Turkey and Indonesia showed that the vaccine was 91.25% and 65.3% effective respectively. Researchers in Brazil initially said it was 78% effective in their clinical trials, but in January 2021 [revised that figure to 50.4% after including more data in their calculations.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-55642648) Earlier in November, their trials were briefly halted after the reported death of a volunteer, but resumed after the death was found to have no links to the vaccine. Sinovac has been approved for emergency use in high-risk groups in China since July. In September, Mr Yin of Sinovac said tests were performed on more than 1,000 volunteers, of which "some only showed minor fatigue or discomfort… no more than 5%". ![Getty Images Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria (C), Sao Paulo state Health Secretary Dr. Jean Gorinchteyn (L), and Butantan Institute Director Dimas Covas (R), pose for photos next to a container carrying doses of the CoronaVac vaccine at Guarulhos International Airport in Guarulhos, near Sao Paulo, Brazil, on December 03, 2020.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/1501E/production/_115864068_gettyimages-1229924071.jpg.webp)Getty Images Sao Paolo officials were photographed with the CoronaVac vaccine earlier this month Prof Luo had said ahead of the phase three results that it was difficult to make comments about the vaccine's efficacy at that point in time "given the limited information available". "Based on the preliminary data... CoronaVac is likely an effective vaccine, but we do need to wait for the results of the phase three trials," he said. "These trials are randomised, observer-blind, placebo-controlled... with thousands of participants. This is the only way to prove a vaccine is safe and effective to be used at the population level." ## What about the Sinopharm vaccine? Sinopharm, a Chinese state-owned company, is developing two Covid-19 vaccines, which, like Sinovac are also inactivated vaccines that work in a similar way. - [Chinese vaccine 'successful in mid-stage trials'](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-54982910) - [Vaccine leader China already inoculating workers](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-53917315) Sinopharm announced on 30 December that phase three trials of the vaccine showed that it was 79% effective - lower than that of Pfizer and Moderna. However, the United Arab Emirates, which approved a Sinopharm vaccine earlier this month, said the vaccine was 86% effective, according to interim results of its phase three trial. ![Getty Images A woman is vaccinated with a syringe of a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, developed by medicine company Sinopharm](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/11F11/production/_116298437_gettyimages-1230209584.jpg.webp)Getty Images Both the UAE and Bahrain have granted emergency use of the vaccine on frontline workers A company spokeswoman declined to explain the discrepancy, and said detailed results would be released later, said a Reuters report. But even ahead of the phase three trial results, the vaccine had already been distributed to nearly a million people in China under an emergency programme. Professor Dale Fisher, of the National University of Singapore, said then that it was "unconventional" to ramp up a vaccine programme without first going through last stage trials. "It is normal to wait for an analysis of phase three trials before ramping up a vaccine programme through emergency use authorisation," he told news site CNBC. Earlier in December, Peru suspended trials for the Sinopharm vaccine due to a "serious adverse event" affecting a volunteer. It later said that it lifted the suspension. A pause in a clinical trial is not unusual. In September, the UK paused trials for another Covid-19 vaccine after a participant had a suspected adverse reaction, resuming after the vaccine was ruled out as the cause. The spread of the coronavirus within China has for the most part been contained - and life is slowly but surely returning to a "new normal". ## Any other vaccine candidates? At least two other Covid-19 vaccines are under development in China, [according to a recent article in The Conversation](https://theconversation.com/chinas-covid-vaccines-are-already-being-distributed-but-how-do-they-work-and-where-are-they-up-to-in-trials-151589). One of them is CanSino Biologics, which is reportedly in phase three clinical trials in countries including Saudi Arabia. The other is being developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom. Its vaccine uses a purified piece of the virus to trigger an immune response, and has recently entered phase three trials, according to the report. ## Which countries are signing up for China's vaccines? Several Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines have signed deals with Sinovac, and in January 2021 Indonesia began rolling out its mass vaccination campaign with their vaccine. Turkey has also approved the Sinovac vaccine for emergency use. The company is also known to have secured other deals with Brazil and Chile. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have approved the Sinopharm vaccine. ## How would rollout work for China's vaccines? Sinovac will be able to produce 300 million doses a year in its newly built 20,000 sq m production plant, its chairman told state media outlet CGTN. Like all the other vaccines, it requires two doses, which means it is currently only able to inoculate 150m people a year - just over a tenth of China's population. Analysts point to China's bid to win the vaccine diplomacy race, which has also reportedly seen China's President Xi Jinping pledge to set aside \$2bn for the African continent, while also offering Latin American and Caribbean countries a \$1bn loan to buy vaccines. It's unclear what the terms of such a deal might be. "Beijing... will surely leverage the provision of this life-saving technology for commercial and diplomatic profit," Jacob Mardell, an analyst from MERICS, told ABC news. "\[It\] possesses something countries dearly need and will seek to paint the vaccine's provision as an act of charity." - [How do I know the Covid vaccine is safe?](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55056016) - [When will you be eligible for the Covid vaccine?](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55045639) It's not clear how much it might cost, but earlier this year, a BBC team in the Chinese city of Yiwu saw that nurses were administering the injections for a fee of around 400 yuan (\$60; £45). Hundreds of people queued in Yiwu, China to get an experimental Covid-19 vaccine Bio Farma, a state-owned firm in Indonesia said it would cost around 200,000 rupiah (\$13.60; £10) locally. That is still far higher than the Oxford vaccine, which costs \$4 a dose, but lower than Moderna's at \$33 per dose. Moderna has said it aims to ship 500 million doses in 2021 and AstraZeneca has said it will produce 700 million doses by the end of the first quarter of 2021. Reporting by Yvette Tan. [Chinese vaccine 'successful in mid-stage trials'](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54982910) [Oxford vaccine: How did they make it so quickly?](https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55041371) [Covid vaccine safety - What we know](https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55056016) [Who can get an NHS Covid booster this spring?](https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55045639) [Coronavirus vaccines](https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/c87z0we2g0zt) [China](https://www.bbc.com/news/world/asia/china) [Coronavirus testing](https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/ck2l9qxx17nt) [Coronavirus](https://www.bbc.com/news/coronavirus) * Related [Four charged with sale of fake Covid-19 passports](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ceqv02y7ywdo) [Islanders to pay for Covid and flu jabs from April](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx28yv2kky0o) [Firm assessing Covid vaccine harm replaced after costs spiral to £48m](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yrvyv4zlzo) * More from the BBC [8 hrs ago ![A woman holding a cigarette and looking at her phone in Hong Kong, China, on June 6, 2024](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/7b2d/live/45166ad0-268c-11f1-82d0-fd391f4a7261.jpg.webp) HK police can now demand phone passwords under new national security rules Those who do not comply can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to HK\$100,000 (\$12,700; £9,600). 8 hrs ago](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8j9yj52lro) [10 hrs ago ![Three nurses in blue uniforms and wearing face masks pointing at a computer monitor](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/25b9/live/9f9dedc0-2371-11f1-934f-036468834728.png.webp) Has Scotland's NHS recovered from the Covid pandemic? 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A police car can be seen behind them.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/efad/live/3dc1bc80-2470-11f1-934f-036468834728.jpg.webp) Plaid promises short, sharp 'review' into Covid instead of public inquiry Plaid Cymru's health spokesman sought to clarify his party's position after it backtracked on a pledge to hold a public inquiry. 3 days ago](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn08lp150x5o) * - [Home](https://www.bbc.com/) - [News](https://www.bbc.com/news) - [Sport](https://www.bbc.com/sport) - [Business](https://www.bbc.com/business) - [Technology](https://www.bbc.com/technology) - [Health](https://www.bbc.com/health) - [Culture](https://www.bbc.com/culture) - [Arts](https://www.bbc.com/arts) - [Travel](https://www.bbc.com/travel) - [Earth](https://www.bbc.com/future-planet) - [Audio](https://www.bbc.com/audio) - [Video](https://www.bbc.com/video) - [Live](https://www.bbc.com/live) - [Weather](https://www.bbc.com/weather) - [BBC Shop](https://shop.bbc.com/) - [BritBox](https://www.britbox.com/?utm_source=bbc.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=footer) BBC in other languages ### The BBC is in multiple languages #### Read the BBC In your own language [Oduu Afaan Oromootiin](https://www.bbc.com/afaanoromoo) [Amharic ዜና በአማርኛ](https://www.bbc.com/amharic) [Arabic عربي](https://www.bbc.com/arabic) [Azeri AZƏRBAYCAN](https://www.bbc.com/azeri) [Bangla বাংলা](https://www.bbc.com/bengali) [Burmese မြန်မာ](https://www.bbc.com/burmese) [Chinese 中文网](https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp) [Dari دری](https://www.bbc.com/dari) [French AFRIQUE](https://www.bbc.com/afrique) [Hausa HAUSA](https://www.bbc.com/hausa) [Hindi हिन्दी](https://www.bbc.com/hindi) [Gaelic NAIDHEACHDAN](https://www.bbc.com/naidheachdan) [Gujarati ગુજરાતીમાં સમાચાર](https://www.bbc.com/gujarati) [Igbo AKỤKỌ N’IGBO](https://www.bbc.com/igbo) [Indonesian INDONESIA](https://www.bbc.com/indonesia) [Japanese 日本語](https://www.bbc.com/japanese) [Kinyarwanda GAHUZA](https://www.bbc.com/gahuza) [Kirundi KIRUNDI](https://www.bbc.com/gahuza) [Korean 한국어](https://www.bbc.com/korean) [Kyrgyz Кыргыз](https://www.bbc.com/kyrgyz) [Marathi मराठी](https://www.bbc.com/marathi) [Nepali नेपाली](https://www.bbc.com/nepali) [Noticias para hispanoparlantes](https://www.bbc.com/mundo) [Pashto پښتو](https://www.bbc.com/pashto) [Persian فارسی](https://www.bbc.com/persian) [Pidgin](https://www.bbc.com/pidgin) [Polish PO POLSKU](https://www.bbc.com/polska) [Portuguese BRASIL](https://www.bbc.com/portuguese) [Punjabi ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਖ਼ਬਰਾਂ](https://www.bbc.com/punjabi) [Russian НА РУССКОМ](https://www.bbc.com/russian) [Serbian NA SRPSKOM](https://www.bbc.com/serbian/lat) [Sinhala සිංහල](https://www.bbc.com/sinhala) [Somali SOMALI](https://www.bbc.com/somali) [Swahili HABARI KWA KISWAHILI](https://www.bbc.com/swahili) [Tamil தமிழில் செய்திகள்](https://www.bbc.com/tamil) [Telugu తెలుగు వార్తలు](https://www.bbc.com/telugu) [Thai ข่าวภาษาไทย](https://www.bbc.com/thai) [Tigrinya ዜና ብትግርኛ](https://www.bbc.com/tigrinya) [Turkish TÜRKÇE](https://www.bbc.com/turkce) [Ukrainian УКРАЇНСЬКA](https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian) [Urdu اردو](https://www.bbc.com/urdu) [Uzbek O'ZBEK](https://www.bbc.com/uzbek) [Vietnamese TIẾNG VIỆT](https://www.bbc.com/vietnamese) [Welsh NEWYDDION](https://www.bbc.com/cymrufyw) [Yoruba ÌRÒYÌN NÍ YORÙBÁ](https://www.bbc.com/yoruba) Follow BBC on: - [Terms of Use](https://www.bbc.com/pages/terms-of-use) - [Subscription Terms](https://www.bbc.com/pages/subscription-terms) - [About the BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.bbc.com/pages/privacy-policy) - [Cookies](https://www.bbc.com/usingthebbc/cookies/) - [Accessibility Help](https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/) - [Contact the BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact) - [Advertise with us](https://advertising.bbcstudios.com/) - [Do not share or sell my info](https://www.bbc.com/usingthebbc/cookies/how-can-i-change-my-bbc-cookie-settings/) - [BBC.com Help & FAQs](https://help.bbc.com/hc/) - [Content Index](https://www.bbc.com/pages/content-index) - [Set Preferred Source](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260128-how-to-make-google-put-trusted-sources-up-top-when-you-search) Copyright 2026 BBC. 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Readable Markdown	14 January 2021 ![Getty Images Various medical syringes seen with Sinovac Biotech company logo displayed on a screen in the background.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/69A6/production/_115864072_gettyimages-1229946482.jpg.webp)Getty Images Sinovac is a Beijing-based pharmaceutical company As the global race to produce a Covid-19 vaccine continues, China appears to have made huge strides, with vaccines from two front-runners - Sinovac and Sinopharm - already making their way abroad. But what do we know about China's vaccines and how do they compare to those being developed elsewhere? How does the Sinovac vaccine work? The Beijing-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac is behind the CoronaVac, an inactivated vaccine. It works by using killed viral particles to expose the body's immune system to the virus without risking a serious disease response. By comparison the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines being developed in the West are mRNA vaccines. This means part of the coronavirus' genetic code is injected into the body, triggering the body to begin making viral proteins, but not the whole virus, which is enough to train the immune system to attack. "CoronaVac is a more traditional method \[of vaccine\] that is successfully used in many well known vaccines like rabies," Associate Prof Luo Dahai of the Nanyang Technological University told the BBC. "mRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine and there is \[currently\] no successful example \[of them\] being used in the population," Prof Luo adds. How will the new Pfizer vaccine work? On paper, one of Sinovac's main advantages is that it can be stored in a standard refrigerator at 2-8 degrees Celsius, like the Oxford vaccine, which is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees. Moderna's vaccine needs to be stored at -20C and Pfizer's vaccine at -70C. It means that both Sinovac and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are a lot more useful to developing countries which might not be able to store large amounts of vaccine at such low temperatures. ![Graphic](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/11C84/production/_115863827_untitled.png.webp) How effective is it? It's hard to say at this point in time. Zhu Fengcai, one of the paper's authors, said those results - based on 144 participants in the phase one trial and 600 in the phase two trial - meant the vaccine was "suitable for emergency use". CoronaVac has been undergoing phase three trials in various countries. Interim data from late-stage trials in Turkey and Indonesia showed that the vaccine was 91.25% and 65.3% effective respectively. Sinovac has been approved for emergency use in high-risk groups in China since July. In September, Mr Yin of Sinovac said tests were performed on more than 1,000 volunteers, of which "some only showed minor fatigue or discomfort… no more than 5%". ![Getty Images Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria (C), Sao Paulo state Health Secretary Dr. Jean Gorinchteyn (L), and Butantan Institute Director Dimas Covas (R), pose for photos next to a container carrying doses of the CoronaVac vaccine at Guarulhos International Airport in Guarulhos, near Sao Paulo, Brazil, on December 03, 2020.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/1501E/production/_115864068_gettyimages-1229924071.jpg.webp)Getty Images Sao Paolo officials were photographed with the CoronaVac vaccine earlier this month Prof Luo had said ahead of the phase three results that it was difficult to make comments about the vaccine's efficacy at that point in time "given the limited information available". "Based on the preliminary data... CoronaVac is likely an effective vaccine, but we do need to wait for the results of the phase three trials," he said. "These trials are randomised, observer-blind, placebo-controlled... with thousands of participants. This is the only way to prove a vaccine is safe and effective to be used at the population level." What about the Sinopharm vaccine? Sinopharm, a Chinese state-owned company, is developing two Covid-19 vaccines, which, like Sinovac are also inactivated vaccines that work in a similar way. - [Chinese vaccine 'successful in mid-stage trials'](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-54982910) - [Vaccine leader China already inoculating workers](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-53917315) Sinopharm announced on 30 December that phase three trials of the vaccine showed that it was 79% effective - lower than that of Pfizer and Moderna. However, the United Arab Emirates, which approved a Sinopharm vaccine earlier this month, said the vaccine was 86% effective, according to interim results of its phase three trial. ![Getty Images A woman is vaccinated with a syringe of a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, developed by medicine company Sinopharm](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/11F11/production/_116298437_gettyimages-1230209584.jpg.webp)Getty Images Both the UAE and Bahrain have granted emergency use of the vaccine on frontline workers A company spokeswoman declined to explain the discrepancy, and said detailed results would be released later, said a Reuters report. But even ahead of the phase three trial results, the vaccine had already been distributed to nearly a million people in China under an emergency programme. Professor Dale Fisher, of the National University of Singapore, said then that it was "unconventional" to ramp up a vaccine programme without first going through last stage trials. "It is normal to wait for an analysis of phase three trials before ramping up a vaccine programme through emergency use authorisation," he told news site CNBC. Earlier in December, Peru suspended trials for the Sinopharm vaccine due to a "serious adverse event" affecting a volunteer. It later said that it lifted the suspension. A pause in a clinical trial is not unusual. In September, the UK paused trials for another Covid-19 vaccine after a participant had a suspected adverse reaction, resuming after the vaccine was ruled out as the cause. The spread of the coronavirus within China has for the most part been contained - and life is slowly but surely returning to a "new normal". Any other vaccine candidates? One of them is CanSino Biologics, which is reportedly in phase three clinical trials in countries including Saudi Arabia. The other is being developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom. Its vaccine uses a purified piece of the virus to trigger an immune response, and has recently entered phase three trials, according to the report. Which countries are signing up for China's vaccines? Several Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines have signed deals with Sinovac, and in January 2021 Indonesia began rolling out its mass vaccination campaign with their vaccine. Turkey has also approved the Sinovac vaccine for emergency use. The company is also known to have secured other deals with Brazil and Chile. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have approved the Sinopharm vaccine. How would rollout work for China's vaccines? Sinovac will be able to produce 300 million doses a year in its newly built 20,000 sq m production plant, its chairman told state media outlet CGTN. Like all the other vaccines, it requires two doses, which means it is currently only able to inoculate 150m people a year - just over a tenth of China's population. Analysts point to China's bid to win the vaccine diplomacy race, which has also reportedly seen China's President Xi Jinping pledge to set aside \$2bn for the African continent, while also offering Latin American and Caribbean countries a \$1bn loan to buy vaccines. It's unclear what the terms of such a deal might be. "Beijing... will surely leverage the provision of this life-saving technology for commercial and diplomatic profit," Jacob Mardell, an analyst from MERICS, told ABC news. "\[It\] possesses something countries dearly need and will seek to paint the vaccine's provision as an act of charity." - [How do I know the Covid vaccine is safe?](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55056016) - [When will you be eligible for the Covid vaccine?](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55045639) It's not clear how much it might cost, but earlier this year, a BBC team in the Chinese city of Yiwu saw that nurses were administering the injections for a fee of around 400 yuan (\$60; £45). Hundreds of people queued in Yiwu, China to get an experimental Covid-19 vaccine Bio Farma, a state-owned firm in Indonesia said it would cost around 200,000 rupiah (\$13.60; £10) locally. That is still far higher than the Oxford vaccine, which costs \$4 a dose, but lower than Moderna's at \$33 per dose. Moderna has said it aims to ship 500 million doses in 2021 and AstraZeneca has said it will produce 700 million doses by the end of the first quarter of 2021. Reporting by Yvette Tan.
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