'Covid 19 Vaccine Safe': South African Kids Get Their 1st Shots Amid Sinovac Trials

• The first South African children part of the trials for the Sinovac Covid 19 vaccine received their first jabs on Friday
• A total of 2 000 children will form part of the trials in South Africa at seven sites including, Germiston, Newtown, Brits, Bellville and Paarl
• On social media, the reception was underwhelming as some South Africans expressed their fears around it, while others said it reeked of a political ploy

In a groundbreaking development, the first children part of the trials for the Sinovac Covid 19 vaccine in South Africa received their first jabs at the Sefako Makgatho University in GaRankuwa.

Sinovac is conducting the first paediatric Phase 3 Covid 19 trials in the country, News24 reported on Friday.

The vaccine has already been administered to about 40 million children in China, according to Gang Zeng, a medical director for research affiliated at Sinovac.

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Zeng said the children are from the ages of three to 17. The global trial will enrol 14 000 participants between these ages in Chile, the Philippines and Malaysia, among others, per a report by BusinessTech.

2 000 children in South Africa to take part

The sites where the vaccine will be trialled on 2 000 children in South Africa will be Germiston, Newtown, Sandton and Sefako Makgatho University in Gauteng, Brits in the North West, and Bellville and Paarl in the Western Cape.

Briefly News understands participants will have two doses of the vaccines or a placebo 28 days apart administered to them.

Assessments on the efficacy of the vaccine will include monitoring for Covid-19-like symptoms and laboratory confirmation of infections.

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Response to Sinovac trials underwhelming

On social media, the reception to the trials was underwhelming as some South Africans expressed their fears around it while others said it reeked of a political ploy.

Briefly News went down the comments to bring readers the reactions to the news.

@IamKimton said:

"Why wasn't the trials done in Sandton or in these expensive private schools?"

@Arkangelkratos expressed:

"I never got Covid in this whole Covid debacle. Got my first Covid shot Monday, sick as a dog."

@MissKerry04 offered:

"Yoh Goodluck to them then."

@RWfinanceadvice added:

"They obviously don't understand the meaning of "safe" anymore!!!!"

@Mavuthel71 ventured:

"It's all about trials kanti?"

@gaddafi_che lamented:

"Bafa bantwana bamaAfrika."

@CalminAndrew declared:

"Trials hey, after you lied to the public that the vaccines are safe."

Covid 19 vaccine trial for children begins on Friday

In recent related news, Briefly News reported that Sinovac Biotech will begin the third clinical trial of its Covid 19 vaccine for children.

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Numolu is the company authorised to distribute Sinovac, which the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) has conditionally approved.

The set circumstances incorporate safety data updates on the regular and that it only be administered to adults from 18 to 59.

BusinessTech reported that the study will assess the safety of the CoronaVac and immunogenicity on both adolescents and children.

Source: Briefly News