Photo: courtesy of Sinovac

China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for emergency use among population aged between 3 and 17 years old, after phase-II clinic trial data suggests it is at least 98.9 percent effective in producing antibodies, a higher efficacy than in population over 18 years old. 

The experiment included 180 volunteers within the age group. Three months after vaccination, the production of antibodies among population aged 3 to 17 years old was 98.9 to 100 percent depending on the dosage of the inoculation, the company announced on Monday.

The result is better than on population aged above 18 years old, said Sinovac, noting that data suggests that the vaccine is stable and effective among young people. 

The WHO validated in June the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in people 18 years and older, noting that efficacy results showed that the Sinovac vaccine prevented symptomatic disease in 51 percent of those vaccinated, and prevented severe COVID-19 and hospitalization in 100 percent of the studied population. 

Sinovac was approved for emergency use in May for people aged between 3 and 17. Multiple provinces and cities in China have inoculated teenagers aged 15 to 17 since July and are planning to expand inoculations to more people, said the company.