Sinovac Will Increase Production Capacity Of COVID-19 Vaccine To 1 Billion Doses

Someone shows the Sinovac vaccine to be injected into President Jokowi (Photo: Press Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat)

JAKARTA - One of the Sinovac Biotech units claims to be able to double the annual production capacity of the CoronaVac vaccine to one billion doses in February.

According to Antara, Thursday, January 14, Sinovac Biotech Director Yin Weidong said in a press conference that more than seven million doses of the CoronaVac vaccine, one of three that have been registered in China's emergency vaccination program, had been supplied to areas including Beijing and Beijing. Guangdong province.

Yin said the first phase of Sinovac Life Sciences' existing production line could make 500 million doses of CoronaVac in one year. The rest, with an annual capacity of 500 million doses, could become operational in February.

Researchers in Brazil on Tuesday released new efficacy data for the vaccine, which show different success rates from trial sites in 3 countries.

Yin said the trials in different countries were designed differently, but the doses of CoronaVac tested came from the same group.

"The results of this Phase III clinical trial are sufficient to prove that the safety and effectiveness of the CoronaVac vaccine worldwide is good," said Yin.

So far China has given more than 10 million doses of COVID-19, a National Health Commission official Wang Bin told reporters.

As clinical trial data and vaccine supply increase, the country will gradually enroll those over 60 into the vaccination scheme, which is currently focused on people aged 18-59 in priority groups with a higher risk of infection, Wang said. , without providing a clear timeline.