ANKARA (Reuters) – A COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech is 91.25% effective and the rate is likely to increase based on late-stage trial data, Turkish researchers said on Thursday, as the country becomes the second trial site to produce results for the Chinese candidate.
The researchers, part of the government’s science council, said no major symptoms were detected during CoronaVac’s trials in Turkey, apart from one person who had an allergic reaction.
Turkey had agreed to procure 50 million doses of Sinovac’s CoronaVac by Dec. 11 but the shipment had been delayed. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the vaccines would arrive in Turkey on Monday, adding that Turkey would vaccinate some 9 million people in the first group, starting with health workers.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Alex Richardson)
