Brazil allows resumption of Chinese vaccine trials

On Wednesday, the national health regulator of Brazil permitted clinical trials of a Chinese-developed novel coronavirus vaccine to resume, following days after suspending them, reported AFP.

The trial was halted after a “severe adverse incident” – reported to be the death of a volunteer, which took place on October 29. However, Dimas Covas, the head of the institute conducting the trials, insisted that the person’s death was not connected to the medical trial itself.

Anvisa, the regulatory agency, said it has now received more information on the nature of the “adverse incident” that led it to suspension of trials of the CoronaVac vaccine. It has “sufficient information to allow vaccination to resume.”

Read More: President Jair Bolsonaro tells Brazil not to deal with pandemic ‘like fags

CoronaVac is one of around a dozen vaccines in the final stage of testing – known as a phase 3 trial – across the globe. 

Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has criticized the vaccine “from that other country,” had claimed the suspension as a victory. However, public health officials said the “adverse incident” that led to the suspension, is now being investigated by police.

They added that police personnel are considering this as a suicide which had no link with the vaccine.