Anvisa, the health regulator of Brazil on Friday approved the critical trials of a potential coronavirus or COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac, as per an official gazette publication.
The study, which was first announced on June 11, is led by the Instituto Butantan, a research center funded by the state of Sao Paulo. The agreement with Sinovac includes not only the trials but also the transference of technology to produce the potential vaccine locally. On June 29, Sao Paulo state Governor Joao Doria said 9,000 volunteers have already been registered to test the vaccine against COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
COVID-19 Vaccine
Trials will be conducted by 12 research centers in six Brazilian states: Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Brasilia, Rio Grande do Sul and Parana, according to Doria. Anvisa's approval comes after Brazil surpassed 1.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to Health Ministry data, the second-worst outbreak after the United States. The number of deaths rose by 1,290 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total tally to 63,174, the data showed.
The deadly virus outbreak has created a major stir around the world in recent times claiming the lives of more than 525,000 people worldwide and infected over 11 million people globally in over 170 countries.
(With agency inputs)
