Clinical Trial Results Support COVID-19 Vaccination of Children and Adolescents

Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd. announced on June 30, 2021, the Lancet Infectious Diseases published results from the Phase I/II clinical trials of the CoronaVac inactivated COVID-19 vaccine in healthy children and adolescents aged 3-17 in China.

The Lancet published the results from a double-blind, randomized, controlled, phase 1/2 clinical trial of CoronaVac in healthy children and adolescents aged 3–17 years old at Hebei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Zanhuang, China, on June 28, 2021. 

The CoronaVac vaccine was found well-tolerated and safe and induced humoral responses in those aged 3–17. The results support using a 3.0 μg dose with a two-immunization schedule for further studies in children and adolescents.

“Children and adolescents with COVID-19 usually have mild or asymptomatic infections compared to adults. Despite this, a small number may still be at risk of severe illness, and this population can still transmit the virus to others,” said Gao Qiang, General Manager of Sinovac Life Sciences Co., Ltd., in a press release.

In June 2020, CoronaVac became the first vaccine to be approved for emergency use in China. On February 5, 2021, the National Medical Products Administration approved CoronaVac for conditional marketing use. In June 2021, CoronaVac was approved for emergency use in children aged 3-17 years old in China.

SINOVAC Biotech Ltd. is a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of vaccines that protect against human infectious diseases.