London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 09, 2025

South Africa Vaccinates 2,000 Children In Trial Of Chinese Vaccine

South Africa Vaccinates 2,000 Children In Trial Of Chinese Vaccine

In South Africa, Numolux has partnered with seven clinical research sites across the country to enroll 2,000 participants from 6 months to 17 years.
South Africa on Friday joined the international Phase 3 clinical trials of China's Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccine for those aged between 6 months and 17 years, with first of the 2,000 children receiving their jabs.

The identities of the boy and a girl, both aged 17 years, were kept secret to protect their privacy as they received their vaccines at the MeCRU Clinical Research Unit, based at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, north of Pretoria.

The primary objective of the global study is to evaluate the efficacy of two doses of CoronaVac against confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 cases in children and adolescents aged 6 months to 17 years. Efficacy will also be evaluated against hospitalisation and severe COVID-19 cases.

The study worldwide will enroll a total of 14,000 children and adolescents in various paediatric age groups in South Africa, Chile, the Philippines, Malaysia and Kenya.

In South Africa, Numolux has partnered with seven clinical research sites across the country to enroll 2,000 participants from 6 months to 17 years.

The trials will start with the 12 to 17 age group, before moving to younger children.

A representative of Numolux, the South African licence holder for Sinovac, said the safety of the vaccine has already been established abroad.

"The vaccine has been tested in phase three trials in adults in Brazil, in Chile, in Indonesia and in the Philippines. It has been shown to be very effective in these studies ranging from 51 per cent in a healthcare population, to 93 per cent in the Turkish and Indonesian populations and 87 per cent in Chile," said Dr Sanet Aspinal, the Numolux group virologist.

Sinovac currently has conditional approval from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) for people aged 18 to 59 years, although the vaccine has not yet been distributed for adults.

SAHPRA has also approved this latest South African trial.

Sinovac's medical director for clinical research Gang Zeng said the vaccine has already been administered to about 40 million children aged between three and 17 in China.

"This study has public health importance globally because a vaccine that prevents COVID-19 disease and transmission in paediatrics would be a crucial tool to assist in curbing the pandemic," the university said in a statement.

"Although children and adolescents have a milder form of the disease than adults, they remain susceptible to infection and severe manifestations across all ages," it added.

Numolux Group CEO Hilton Klein said it was critical to protect children of Africa.

"(We have) joined Sinovac in the fight against this deadly monster to ensure that the children of Africa have access to a safe and effective children's vaccine to protect them against COVID-19," Klein said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
×