ISLAMABAD: Thousands of volunteers from across Pakistan are entering research hospitals to register for the final phase of clinical trials of a Chinese-made vaccine for the corona virus.
This is the first time Pakistan has taken part in such a trial, which has come to light this month in connection with the announcement of a positive vaccine by Western pharmaceutical companies.
The vaccine is being developed by Kenso Bio and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology China.
“I have volunteered for a good cause that will help humanity,” said a volunteer at Shifa Hospital in Islamabad, where hundreds of participants are being given about ڈالر 50 for their concerns. ۔
He added that others should “go ahead and take part in the good cause that will save lives.”
For years, China has focused much of its focus on building roads, power plants and strategic ports in Pakistan, including banking and major development projects.
Despite Pakistan’s long history of vaccination campaigns, Beijing has now tapped its closest ally to take part in vaccine trials.
“We hope that in two to three months, some points will be made about the accuracy and efficacy of the vaccine,” said Ijaz Ahmad Khan, principal researcher overseeing the trial in Pakistan. AFP.
Pakistan has already vaccinated about 7,000 of the 10,000 participants, which is expected, officials said.
The cases occur in intensive care units across the country, which are close to capacity, as a deadly wave of corona virus spreads and officials struggle to combat public indifference to infectious diseases. Are
Since the outbreak of the virus in late February, more than 382,000 cases have been confirmed in the country, including more than 7,800 deaths.
Less than a year after the corona virus, which claimed 1.4 million lives, began to spread around the world, several highly promising COVID-19 vaccines have been released.
Four different drug makers have recently announced that their vaccines are effective for most people.
Due to long-standing skepticism about vaccines, Pakistan is one of only two countries where polio is spreading, raising fears that a new population tax campaign against the corona virus will fail.
In many other nations, including China, Russia, Chile, Argentina and Saudi Arabia, the Chinese vaccine is undergoing Phase 3 testing – or large-scale testing on humans.
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