China to use COVID-19 vaccine by end of year even if trials not completed

The reason for this decision is because of the dwindling number of new coronavirus cases in China.

By AARON REICH
Vial 1 of Box 1. This is the vaccine candidate to be used in Phase 1 clinical trial at the Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility (CBF) in Oxford, Britain, April 2, 2020. Picture taken April 2, 2020 (photo credit: SEAN ELIAS/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Vial 1 of Box 1. This is the vaccine candidate to be used in Phase 1 clinical trial at the Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility (CBF) in Oxford, Britain, April 2, 2020. Picture taken April 2, 2020
(photo credit: SEAN ELIAS/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
China's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention head Gao Fu said that the country will start giving out a vaccine for COVID-19 to certain groups by the end of the year, regardless of whether trials have been completed, the South China Morning Post reported.
“The National Immunisation Programme is paying close attention and studying what groups of the population can take the shots, when to take them and what may constitute emergency use of vaccines,” Gao said on Saturday, according to SCMP.
“I believe we will decide based upon the specific situations as we will not be following the usual protocol, otherwise time will be lost. Nor can we [decide] based on our knowledge of coronaviruses because the virus is very unique.”
The reason for this decision is due to the dwindling number of new coronavirus cases in China. While the country was the original epicenter of the outbreak, which originated in the city of Wuhan in late 2019, the number of new cases per day has dwindled down to the single digits, SCMP reported. This lack of new cases could make trials more difficult.
China is not the only country whose vaccine trials have been stemmed by a lack of new cases. In the United Kingdom, the vaccine candidate being developed by Oxford University's Jenner Institute has only a 50/50 chance of a successful test being possible due to a slowdown in new infections.
“It is a race, yes. But it's not a race against the other guys," Jenner Institute director Prof. Adrian Hill told The Telegraph, referring to the other efforts around the world to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus pandemic.
"It's a race against the virus disappearing – and against time. We said earlier in the year that there was an 80% chance of developing an effective vaccine by September. But at the moment, there’s a 50% chance that we get no result at all.
"We’re in the bizarre position of wanting COVID to stay, at least for a little while. But cases are declining."
Donna Rachel Edmunds contributed to this report.