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Sinopharm provides exceptional protection against Delta: Local Study

11 Jul 2021

  • Professor Channa Jayasumana says study report to be released this week

By Buddhika Samaraweera   A local study has revealed that the Chinese-made Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine provides exceptional protection against the Delta variant of Covid-19 (B.1.617.2), said State Minister of Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa Jayasumana. “There is good news to say. Many ask, is there any benefit of the vaccine we inject, against the newly spreading Delta variant? Whether the Sinopharm vaccine is beneficial? A local study has revealed that the Sinopharm vaccine provides exceptional protection against the Delta variant,” he said speaking to reporters yesterday (11). Prof. Jayasumana also said that reports of said research could be released by the coming Wednesday or Thursday. However, Reuters recently reported a Chinese disease control researcher as having told Chinese state media that antibodies triggered by two Chinese Covid-19 vaccines are less effective against the Delta variant compared with other strains, but that the shots still offer protection. “In an interview aired by China Central Television late on Thursday, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention Researcher and former Deputy Director Feng Zijian did not provide further details. Without naming the two vaccines, Feng said they fell into the category of inactivated vaccines, which contain ‘killed’ coronavirus that cannot replicate in human cells,” Reuters reported. Five out of the seven domestically developed vaccines in China's mass inoculation scheme are inactivated vaccines. These include shots from Sinovac Biotech (SVA.O) and Sinopharm. The delta variant of Covid-19, which is said to be 50% more transmissible than the currently spreading alpha (UK variant/B.1.1.7), was for the first time in Sri Lanka detected from a community sample on 17 June. According to University of Sri Jayewardenepura Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine Director Dr. Chandima Jeewandara, the variant had first been detected among five community samples obtained from the Dematagoda area in Colombo.  


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