China has approved an "experimental COVID-19 vaccine" that members of the military can use after initial clinical tests suggested it is safe and will provide efficient responses. However, larger trials have yet to be made in order to ensure they are effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes the coronavirus, Ars Technica reported.
This move marks the first for any country to approve a "candidate" cure for use in the military. It was on June 25 when China approved the vaccine with its Central Military Commission and will last a year, the report added.
Who developed the China coronavirus vaccine?
Researchers and specialists from biotech firm CanSino Biologics developed the vaccine together with the Chinese military. According to them, it is under the category of "viral vector-based vaccine."
What does this mean? It means that these specialists began with a viral vector, in this case, it should be a common adenovirus strain--a virus strain that causes mild upper respiratory symptoms developing into the disease.
The procedure follows through in such a way that they cripple the virus so it won't multiply in a person's cellular makeup and cause more severe symptoms. They then structured the virus to carry the distinctive features of SARS-CoV-2, the infamous spike protein of the virus. This places them out of the viral particle, allowing for the virus to take its toll on humans.
Injecting the virus
When this harmless vaccine is injected into the body, it will present the spike protein--the SARS-CoV-2 strain--into the immune system, triggering this to develop responses against the virus.
These include antibodies or Y-shaped proteins that travel around the body to detect previously known germs with distinct features. Once it detects a germ, it neutralizes antibodies to attack the germ and prevent the infection from spreading.
The report said, "In a Phase 1 safety trial involving 108 people, the vaccine-dubbed Ad5-nCoV-proved safe and was able to spur the production of neutralizing antibodies and other immune responses. However, the study, published in The Lancet, also detected a potential foil for the vaccine candidate: in people who had been infected with Ad5 in their past, the vaccine didn't generate as strong of a response to SARS-CoV-2's spike protein."
Ars Technica's Beth Mole continued the report saying this may be due to the immune system being able to quickly recognize the adenovirus, and to focus the response "on the viral vector, rather than the nefarious spike."
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More from the researchers
The bioresearch facility said that it had since finished the larger second phase fo the trial, ensuring safety and efficacy. However, the results have yet to be released. Reports from Chinese media also revealed that CanSino partnered with the government of Canada for Phase 3 trials. These trials will further look into the efficacy and the potential side effects over a larger group of people.
There hasn't been a statement yet from CanSino if the Chinese military, mostly frontliners, will be required to have the vaccine or if it would only be an option for them.
As of press time, there are now 17 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in clinical trials with 132 in the stage of pre-clinical development. More vaccines are being created in China.
