By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE Sinopharn vaccine being used widely in Trinidad and Tobago to inoculate against Covid-19 has an efficacy rate of 78.1%.
This means it reduces the risk of getting Covid-19 by 78.1%.
This according to Professor of Immunology, Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Michele Monteil at the Ministry of Health Virtual presser on Wednesday.
Prof Monteil said, “The Sinopharm vaccine is an inactivated virus vaccine. This means that it consists of killed SARS CoV2 viruses which are then injected into your body.
“These cannot multiply and are not able to infect yourselves but they are able to trigger your immune system so that you can make SARS CoV2 specific antibodies and other types of immune cells.”
She said the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Use Approved vaccines all stimulate good viral protection against the Covid-19 virus and the inactivated virus vaccines have been around for some time since the 1950s including in its use against polio.
Prof Monteil said the Sinopharm vaccine has a 78.1 efficacy rate which means that persons who were fully immunised with two doses, their chances of getting the Covid-19 virus was reduced by 78.1%.
“Most of the side effects were mild,” she added. The most common effect was pain at the vaccination spot, the professor said.
Using the Seychelles story in Africa as an example in which both the Sinopharm and AstraZeneca vaccines were used, Monteil said, that indicated the success of the Sinopharm vaccine and it was indeed a very safe vaccine to be administered.
However, there is still limited information regarding the variants in that target group.
She said, “We still don’t know what are the variants that are circulating in Seychelles. I am aware that there was work done earlier this year where they identified the South African variant and some people are postulating that the Indian variant has entered that as well.
“We do know that the South African and Indian variants are a bit more difficult and the South African variant has actually a vaccine efficacy against that particular vaccine.”
According to the BBC, Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa which relies on tourism for much of its income, began vaccinating its population in January using the Sinopharm vaccine doses donated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It has fully vaccinated almost 60% of its population using both the AstraZeneca and the Sinopharm.
