Chile is carrying out a vaccination campaign, which has been described as successful by the government with 12 million doses already applied. | Photo: Ministry of Health Chile

Santiago de Chile, April 17 (RHC)-- A report by the local Ministry of Health on the effectiveness of the immunization with the vaccine of the Chinese laboratory Sinovac, the most used in the South American country regarding the massive vaccination campaign against the virus causing COVID-19.

According to the health authorities, the report gathers the evidence of the two months of mass immunization against SARS-CoV-2, a process in which it has been the most used drug.  Official data reveals that more than 11,000,000 doses of Coronavac have been administered since February to date.

Coronavac is a vaccine containing the coronavirus itself (from the CZ02 strain), but inactivated. It was developed by the Chinese laboratory Sinovac Life Science.  Through its use, together with other drugs acquired by the government of Sebastián Piñera, the local authorities hope to maintain a vaccination rhythm with the objective of having 70 percent of the population immunized by next September.

The emergency use of this formula was approved, for people over 18 years of age, last January 20. At that time, the Institute of Public Health reported that the drug offered 100 percent efficacy to prevent severe cases (need for hospitalization), 78 percent to prevent moderate disease and 50.4 percent in cases of very mild symptoms without the need for medical attention, according to clinical trials. Similarly, Sinovac claims that its anticovid vaccine is safe for children as young as three years old.

Meanwhile, the Chilean Ministry of Health will present in its report the evidence of these two months of inoculations, in a communication that will be in charge of Rafael Araos, who has led a team within the Ministry to carry out this analysis. 

In detail, the vaccine corresponds to a "virus cultivated in African green monkey kidney cells (Vero cells), subsequently harvested, inactivated to avoid replication, concentrated, purified and adsorbed with aluminum hydroxide that acts as an adjuvant agent, which stimulates the immune response". It requires a two-dose schedule, with a 28-day interval between doses.

To date, 7,600,908 people in Chile have already received the first dose of a vaccine, and 5,126,051 have already been inoculated with the second dose. Of this total of 12,726,959 doses administered, 11,068,110 correspond to Coronavac alone, according to government data.