Study: Sinopharm Vaccine Less Effective in Elderly, as Morocco Receives 2 Million Doses

This study, led by biochemist Balázs Sarkadi and biostatistician Tamás Ferenci, notes insufficient antibody production in 25% of people over 60 years of age vaccinated with Sinopharm. Thus, out of the 450 people who received the Sinopharm vaccine, 90% of people under 50 developed protective antibodies against Covid-19, while their production decreased respectively to 75% and 50% in subjects aged over 60 and over 80.

And the two researchers to note that these "very vulnerable" people who believe they are protected against the virus are not out of danger. "It’s very, very worrying that these people, who are at high risk, have a poor antibody response," said Jin Dong-yan, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong who was not involved in the study. These results, which constitute the first public scientific attempt to analyze the effect of the Sinopharm vaccine in the elderly, are to be taken seriously, said Wang Chenguang, former professor at the "Peking Union Medical College" and immunology expert.

And what about the reaction of the Chinese National Health Commission? It refuses to comment, stating that only the studies of governments or major research institutions count in its eyes.

To recall, this is the fifth delivery of doses of the Chinese vaccine in two weeks, after receiving 1.5 million doses on July 17, bringing the total number of vaccines received since the start of the vaccination campaign to 26.5 million doses.