Chileans encouraged by 'very effective' CoronaVac

SANTIAGO, Chile－The Chinese-made CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be very effective in preventing infections, hospitalizations, admissions to intensive care units, and deaths, a Chilean official said on Sunday.

Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Andres Couve made the comment while receiving the eighth shipment of the vaccine to the country.

The official cited a study the Chilean government presented on Friday, which indicated the CoronaVac vaccine, which is made by pharmaceutical company Sinovac, has an efficacy rating of 67 percent in preventing symptomatic COVID-19.

The study also showed the vaccine is up to 85 percent effective in preventing hospitalization, 89 percent effective in preventing admission to an intensive care unit, and 80 percent effective in preventing death caused by the virus.

Rafael Araos, a doctor and adviser to the Undersecretariat of Public Health, announced the efficacy findings during the presentation of the results of the study titled "Effectiveness of the inactivated CoronaVac vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in Chile".

A vaccine's efficacy is the protection it provides under real-life conditions and the results of the study were based on CoronaVac's effectiveness 14 days after the second dose, explained Araos, who is also the former head of epidemiology at the health ministry.

The study considered about 10.5 million people aged 16 or older. It was carried out by comparing those fully and partially immunized with CoronaVac and those yet to be vaccinated.

Chile began mass vaccinations in February after the inoculation of health personnel in December 2020 and January 2021.

Health ministry data showed more than 7.6 million people have been inoculated against the virus in Chile to date, with 5.2 million having received both doses.

A total of 1,124,718 cases have been reported in the country, with 25,177 deaths, the ministry said on Sunday.

Chile has been facing an increase in cases for several weeks. A large part of the Chilean population, including those in the Santiago metropolitan region, is now under quarantine to curb the spread of the disease. The government has ordered the borders closed.

Xinhua