Sinopharm executive suggests vaccinated people accept booster shots after China builds herd immunity

Zhang Yuntao, chief scientist of Sinopharm's subsidiary China National Biotec Group (CNBG), suggested that vaccinated people in China could choose to accept booster shots when available after herd immunity is built in the country, Global Times reported.

China's top epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan recently estimated the country could build herd immunity by vaccinating at least 80% of its population by the end of the year.  

Zhang said Monday that studies and data obtained so far have shown that current CNBG inactivated vaccines are still effective in preventing COVID-19, including the Delta variant.

According to a study by teams led by Zhong, two shots of Chinese inactivated vaccines showed 59% efficacy in preventing symptoms caused by the Delta variant during the outbreak in Guangzhou in May and June.

Zhang also noted that studies in the United Arab Emirates showed that a third shot of CNBG's inactivated vaccines six months after the second dose would boost the level of antibodies in recipients by 5-10 times.