A staff member displays samples of the COVID-19 inactivated vaccine at Sinovac Biotech Ltd., in Beijing, capital of China, March 16, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

 The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that Brazil's health regulator's decision to halt trials of a Chinese-produced COVID-19 vaccine in Brazil is not related to the vaccine itself, after foreign media said the suspension came following a "severe adverse event."

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the ministry, said at a press conference on Tuesday that we notice that Brazil's Butantan Institute has concluded that the reported "adverse event" that caused Brazil's health regulator on Monday to suspend trials of a Chinese-produced vaccine in Brazil is not related to the vaccine produced by China's Sinovac Biotech.

Sinovac will continue to communicate with Brazil over the matter, Wang noted.

Wang's remarks came after media reported that Brazil had suspended clinical trials of the vaccine after an "adverse incident" involving a volunteer recipient, calling it "a blow" for one of the most advanced vaccine candidates.

Sinovac said in a statement sent to the Global Times that "We are confident in the safety of the vaccine," adding that the adverse incident was "unrelated to the vaccine."