China's COVID-19 vaccine enters phase 3 trial.

ISLAMABAD -- China reached an important new level of vaccine development with the start of the phase three clinical trial of an inactivated vaccine candidate against COVID-19 in the United Arab Emirates.

It is the first vaccine of its kind to reach a late-stage, mass-scale human trial, according to China National Biotec Group, China Daily reported on Thursday.

The Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said in a statement that Chinese authorities approved the phase one trial of the nation's first recombinant protein vaccine against COVID-19.

The recombinant protein vaccine is the nation's third type of vaccine, after an adenovirus vector vaccine and the inactivated vaccine, to enter clinical trials in China, the statement said.

The Wuhan and Beijing units of the CNBG each developed an inactivated vaccine candidate, and one or the other of these vaccine candidates were tested on a group of 2,240 people during phase one and two clinical trials, the CNBG said.

The Wuhan vaccine was found to be effective and safe, with no serious adverse effects, according to trial results published on June 16.

Various dosages and timings were tried. Those who received two doses at an interval of 28 days, all in the 18 to 59 age group, tested positive for neutralizing antibodies against the novel coronavirus.

The Beijing vaccine's test results will be published on June 28, the CNBG said. The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention has approved the phase three trials, though it is unclear which vaccine will be used.

As for the recombinant protein vaccine, the Institute of Microbiology said in the statement that it has been shown to be safe and effective in animal tests and is easy to mass produce.

China's recombinant protein vaccine candidate has been jointly developed by the Institute of Microbiology and Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical. The United States, Israel, Japan, Argentina, Thailand and other countries are working on similar recombinant vaccines, according to the World Health Organization.

Unlike an inactivated vaccine, which uses a whole dead targeted virus, and a vector vaccine, which uses a chemically weakened second virus as a carrier, a recombinant protein vaccine uses only part of the targeted virus to trigger a protective immune response.

This type of vaccine is known to provide very strong protection and is safe even for people who are immuno-compromised, the United States' National Institutes of Health said. Common...