COURTESY HT NOV 19

China’s Covid vaccine appears safe, causes immune response

Water cannon being used during a protest against coronavirus curbs in Berlin on Wednesday. REUTERS

HT Correspondent

prasun.sonwalkar@hindustantimes.com

London/ Berlin : Results from an early-phase randomised clinical trial of the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine candidate CoronaVac show that the formulation appears safe and induces an antibody response in volunteers aged 18 to 59 years.

The results, published in The Lancet, add to the number of vaccine candidates under trial that have been found to be safe. The Chinese vaccine’s trial involved more than 700 volunteers recruited in China between April 16 and May 5.

“The vaccine appeared to be safe and well tolerated at all tested doses... Within 14 days of the final dose, study detected robust antibody responses after two injections of the vaccine candidate were given 14 days apart,” the journal said.

South Australia on Wednesday declared a six-day lockdown to stamp out what officials described as a highly contagious outbreak of the coronavirus disease that they linked to a returned traveller from the UK.

Cops clash with angry demonstrators in Berlin

German police unleashed water cannon on Wednesday in an effort to scatter thousands of protesters angry over plans to empower Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to enforce more restrictions.

Protesters near Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate threw bottles at police and set off smoke bombs. Riot police detained some protesters while firing volleys of water. Demonstrators were fuming about legislation due to be passed by parliament that could allow the government to impose curbs on social contact, rules on mask-wearing, and drinking alcohol in public.

Meanwhile, the UK government has released a film based on research that shows ventilation and letting in fresh air into indoor spaces can reduce risk of infection by over 70%.