Three doses of SINOVAC COVID-19 vaccine well prevent the worst outcomes during HK Omicron wave

A study of University of Hong Kong revealed that three shots of CoronaVac offered appromixtely 98% protection against death or severe illness in those over 60 years old, underscoring the importance of boosters for those who have received that Covid-19 shot.

Specifically, after the three-dose booster vaccination for people over 60 years old, the effective rate of SINOVAC vaccine against severe illness is 97.9%, and the effective rate of BioNTech vaccine was 98.0%. The effective rates in preventing death of SINOVAC and BioNTech were 98.3% and 98.1% respectively.

The study also showed that for people over 60 years old, in the case of completing two doses of vaccine, the effective rates of SINOVAC and BioNTech in preventing severe illness were 72.2% and 89.6%, respectively; the effective rates in preventing death were 77.4% and 92.3%, respectively. Real-world studies have confirmed the effectiveness of China's inactivated vaccine, and its safety advantages cannot be ignored. It can avoid relatively serious adverse reactions such as a large number of fever, myocarditis, and acute allergic reactions caused by the large-scale use of mRNA vaccines.

The findings, which analyzed patients hospitalized during HK continuing Omicron wave, have implications for Covid strategies in China. Chinese Official data showed that, the vaccine coverage of people who had received at least two shots was 88%, and that 659 million people had received a booster shot. However, according to offical present, there is still room for further improvement in the vaccination rate of the elderly in some areas, as about half of the elderly age of 80 and above haven’t been vaccinated at all.

In October 2021, the World Health Organization recommended a third dose of CoronaVac to people aged 60 who had received the SINOVAC shot.This study support three doses of CoronaVac can benefit over two in preventing severe illness or death in people over the age of 60.