In an online interview broadcast live on Sunday, Gao Fu, head of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), claimed that upgrading vaccines would be the next step in the global scientific response to COVID-19. 19. Whether China will launch a “fourth dose” of the vaccine or promote a mixed vaccination is still being assessed, he said.
With the current virus mutation and outbreaks of infections in the population, upgrading vaccines is one of the next steps against COVID-19, Gao said.
Both Sinopharm and Sinovac are conducting clinical trials for new inactivated vaccines against the Omicron variant, Gao noted, and his team’s recombinant protein vaccine, ZF2001, is in intensive development with some data already available. published.
Previously, Zhifei Longcom, the maker of the ZF2001 vaccine, released encouraging data showing that the vaccine is 75.7% effective against symptomatic cases and 87.6% effective against severe to critical cases of COVID-19. for six months after full vaccination.
Drug research is also the next focus for infectious disease control, Gao said.
“In addition to biopharmaceuticals and small molecule drugs, we have found some components in traditional Chinese medicine that may inhibit the COVID-19 virus,” he said, noting that related drugs were also found. ‘study.
Given the current situation in China, vigorous promotion of vaccination is necessary, especially for those who have not yet been vaccinated and need to complete their basic vaccination, Gao said.
As for the need for a “fourth dose” after the booster vaccine already administered, it is still being evaluated in China, he said.
When asked if the next step for China would be to promote the administration of mixed vaccines to the public, the China CDC expert noted that the most important thing was the continuation of vaccination, not the type of vaccine.
“Some people misunderstand the concept of ‘sequential vaccination’,” he said, adding that “due to misleading translation, many people think that sequential vaccination means that different types and technical routes of vaccines must be mixed. In reality, the term mainly emphasizes continuous vaccination. »
But Gao also pointed out that previous scientific studies have proven that mixing vaccines with different technical pathways has a positive effect on human immunity.
“A vaccination against the same disease and a second vaccination with a different technical route have been validated as highly effective in previous epidemiological studies,” Gao pointed out, noting that this was also an option to consider for COVID-19.
He also pointed out that epidemic prevention and control is not only a scientific issue, but a comprehensive social issue.
“Public health and science can only give us a few basics, and it is at this stage a big project with all the efforts from all sides requiring administrative decisions and grassroots implementation,” said continued Mr. Gao.
“In the face of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have relied on knowledge from the past to develop science, which also gives the world the opportunity to delve deeper into an underdeveloped field,” noted Mr. Gao, remarking that “thanks to the science and technology that have been developed during this period, new solutions for certain diseases may be brought to the world in the future”.
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