Chinese vaccines effective against coronavirus variant found in India: expert

A medical worker administers a dose of the recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (adenovirus type 5 vector) which requires only one shot to a resident at a temporary vaccination site in Haidian District of Beijing, capital of China, May 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

BEIJING, May 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese health expert on Thursday said that preliminary studies had proved the COVID-19 vaccines currently in use in China are effective against the coronavirus variant recently detected in India.

China has been paying close attention to the emerging variant of the coronavirus found in India, and is conducting research and accumulating data, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention expert Shao Yiming told a press conference in Beijing.

The virus will continue mutating, therefore more changes will appear, said Shao.

Once the current vaccines become ineffective against new COVID-19 strains, the inactivated vaccines developed by China will offer a quick solution as their production techniques will need no adjustment, Shao added.

He said that China is capable of putting new, effective vaccines into use if new variants render current vaccines ineffective.