Vaccine Photo: VCG

China's Embassy to Bangladesh confirmed with the Global Times that Ambassador Li Jiming has said that he would be willing to be the first volunteer for the upcoming phase III clinical trial of a vaccine candidate developed by Chinese company Sinovac Life Sciences Co., Ltd. in Bangladesh. 

The Bangladeshi government has not officially approved the trial, the embassy said in an email to the Global Times on Wednesday. 

A COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the Beijing-based SINOVAC has received preliminary approval in Bangladesh for phase III clinical trials, the company said Monday.

The company told the Global Times on Tuesday that the Bangladeshi drug administration will officially approve the trial this week and the trial could begin in August. 

Yan Hualong, Deputy Head of Mission, Chinese Embassy in Dhaka told Bangladeshi media UNB that he would like to be the second volunteer for the trial as he has "no chance to win against (Ambassador Li)."  

On Tuesday, a phase III clinical trial on the SINOVAC candidate started in São Paulo, Brazil, making it the third COVID-19 vaccine candidate made in China that has entered phase III clinical trial. The other two were developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group. 

São Paulo governor Joao Doria said on Tweet on Tuesday that he thought the SINOVAC candidate is one of the most promising candidates under development. 

A recombinant vaccine candidate also reportedly would enter phase III clinical trial by the end of July after proving safe and effective in previous trials.