A student receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination point in Danzhai County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 12, 2021. China is orderly propelling its vaccination program among minors aged between 12 and 17, on the premise of ensuring safety.Photo:Xinhua

Chinese produced vaccines to tackle COVID-19 pandemic provide "excellent protection" for those fully vaccinated from the disease caused by the Delta variant, a Guangdong study revealed. 

The study, published by the Guangdong Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was published in preprint in the CCDC Weekly on Friday. 

The Delta variant triggered a COVID-19 flare-up in South China's Guangdong Province during May and June. Researchers used data drawn from the outbreak areas to gauge the protection of domestically produced vaccines. 

A medical worker administers a dose of COVID-19 vaccine for a student at a high school in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, July 29, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

The findings from the research suggested that inactivated vaccines developed by China provide good protection against the Delta variant. The efficiency for fully vaccinated people (14 days after the second dose with a 21+ day interval between two doses) among individuals aged 18 years and above, were 78 percent and 70 percent, respectively, with 100 percent against severe illness. 

Partial vaccination, in contrast, showed little effectiveness against pneumonia, with the study suggesting vaccine efficiency for partially vaccinated people was between 1.4 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively. 

Importantly, there were no severe or critical illness cases, while unvaccinated close contacts had 19 severe or critical illnesses.

The study stressed that the inactivated vaccines would only work if fully administered with two doses. 

Global Times